Profile of a Performer: The Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were a group that comprised of three brothers: Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb.  Robin and Maurice are fraternal twins. The group is recognized for their three part harmonies. Bee Gees early years

The Gibb brothers were born on the Isle of Man, England.  The family lived in various parts of England before relocating to Queensland, Australia in 1958.  The brothers began performing for pocket money.  Two of their mentors, Bill Gates {a radio DJ} and Bill Goode, renamed the brothers the Bee Gees.

By 1960 the brothers were on a variety of television shows.  They also performed at various Australian resorts.  The group did not have the success they desired in Australia.  In 1966, they met Nat Kipner and signed with Spin Records in the United States.  That same year they decided to relocate back to the United Kingdom.

In 1967, their single “To Love Somebody” became a Top 20 song. Their first album “Bee Gees 1st” was also released that year.  The group soon had a string of hits.  On many of the early songs, Barry did most of the lead vocals.  Their album Odessa was released in 1969.  Many critics feel this is their best rock album of the 60s.

Saturday Night Fever Robin went out on his own and all of the brothers had solo projects in the early 70s.    The brothers reunited in the late 70s with new songs.  The group still struggled through these years.

The turning point came when they agreed to participate in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.  Reportedly the songs for the film were written in one weekend.  Three of their singles, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Night Fever” and “Staying Alive”, hit number 1 on the charts.  On March 25, 1978 the group had five songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.  The album broke records and was the best selling soundtrack up to that time.

In 1978 they co-starred in the movie Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Unfortunately this movie was not the success they hoped it would be.

Their fame rose and fell over the years, with the greatest success during the disco era.  The brothers wrote and produced allBee Gees of their own hits, as well as for other artists.  The group is considered the best selling music artists of all time.  A lot of their success were songs they’d written for other artist.  Some of these include Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers “Islands in the Stream”, Dionne Warwick’s “Heartbreaker”, “Grease” sung by Frankie Valli, and Barbra Streisand’s album “Guilty”.

Maurice died suddenly on January 12, 2003. After his death Robin and Barry became estrained and pursued their own individual interest.

The brothers reunited and performed together again in 2009.  In 2010 Robin confirmed in an interview their story was being made into a movie by Steven Spielberg.  Robin died on May 20, 2012 after bravely battling cancer.

The group left a huge collection of songs that have been recorded by more than 2500 artist.  “How Deep Is Your Love” is their most popular song.  The group released twenty-seven albums throughout their career.  They have also won numerous awards including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, multiple Grammy Awards and American Music Awards.  All three brothers were appointed Commanders in the Order of the British Empire in late 2001.

                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_izvAbhExY&ob=av2e