B[e][e] G[e][e]s
BeeGees was born in Douglas, on the Isle of Man, Barry and twins Robin and Maurice Gibb started their singing very young -when they were nine and six years old- in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, where the family had moved in 1955. The three brothers and two friends of theirs started performing as "The Rattlesnakes" and "Wee Johnny Hays and The Blue Cats" in some movie theaters in Chorlton. In 1958 the family moved again, this time to Australia, where the Gibb brothers went on performing as "Barry and The Twins" and "The BG's." In 1963 the Gibb brothers signed their first record deal and released their first single, "The battle of the blue and grey." In three years the Bee Gees released thirteen singles and three albums; their first big hit came in 1966, with "Spicks and specks."
Before the release of 'Spicks and specks,' the brothers had decided to try
their luck in England, so in 1967 the family returned to the UK, where the
three brothers signed with Robert Stigwood. From 1967 through 1969 the Bee
Gees -with two more members: the Australians Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney-
recorded 4 albums and had some huge hits - "New York Mining Disaster
1941", "To Love Somebody", "Massachusetts", "Words",
"I Started a Joke," "I've Gotta Get a Message To You".
In 1969 Melouney left the band and so did Robin to pursue a solo career. Soon
Petersen followed them, leaving Barry and Maurice as the only band members
until Robin rejoined his brothers one year later.
From 1970 thru 1973 The Bee Gees recorded 4 more albums, and though they had
some hits ("Lonely Days", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart",
"Run To Me"), the record sells slipped. Finally, in 1973 they recorded
A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In the Pants, which the record company didn't
release, and the band decided to move to the States.
In America, with the help of a new producer, Arif Mardin, The Bee Gees evolved
to new musical forms, starting with the superb albums Mr Natural and Main
course, followed by Children of the World, where the song "You should
be dancing" anticipated Saturday Night Fever, the soundtrack that topped
the charts for over 20 weeks and that remains the best selling soundtrack
ever. The Bee Gees tremendous success continued with the 1979 album Spirits
having flown.
But soon the Disco era was over. In 1980, their new album Living eyes showed
a very different style. In spite of being one of their best albums, it didn't
make well in the charts, and the Bee Gees did not record another album until
1987. In the meantime they released solo albums and produced other artists.
They topped the charts again, this time as producers and songwriters, with "Guilty", "Woman in love", "Heartbreaker", "Islands
in the stream" and "Chain reaction" as highlights.
In 1987 came the album E.S.P,
with one Bee Gees song "You win again" topping one more time the
European charts. From 1989 to 2001 they released five more studio albums showing
their huge talent for songwriting. After the release of the album This Is
Where I Came In in 2001, the brothers decided to take a break as the Bee Gees
and work individually on different projects. The band came definively to an
end on January 12, 2003, when Maurice Gibb died. Ten days later Robin Gibb
announced the end of the Bee Gees. The two surviving brothers continue making
music and do not rule out the possibility of working together in the future,
though not as the Bee Gees, in respect for their brother Maurice.
In a career spanning over forty years, the Bee Gees sold more than 175 million
records worldwide, and have written dozens of hits for themselves and other
acts. Over 1,000 artists have performed their songs, from Elvis Presley, Janis
Joplin, Al Green or Barbra Streisand to Destiny's Child, Happy Mondays, Celine
Dion or Wyclef Jean.
The Bee Gees, the second most successful band in music history after the Beatles,
have had more than 200 no. 1 charts positions worldwide, themselves or with
others acts singing their songs. They had no 1. hits in each decade from the
60s to the 90s, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, that topped the US
album charts for 24 weeks, remains the world's biggest selling soundtrack
ever.
They have won 7 Grammy Awards and 28 Ivor Novello Awards and have been inducted
into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
both in the United States and in Australia. They have also been honoured with
Lifetime Achievement awards by the American Music Awards, the Brit Awards
and the World Music Awards.
Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb first
married an Australian girl called Maureen Bates in 1966. The marriage did
not last long, and on Sep 1, 1970 he married Linda Ann Gray (born May 11,
1950). They have five children, four boys and a girl. Their two eldest boys
-Stephen and Ashley- got married in November 2002. They have four grand-children:
Nina and Angus (Stephen's children, born Dec 27, 2002 and February 6, 2006),
Lucas John Crompton (Ashley's child, born Dec 28, 2003) and Damien Michael
Crompton (Michael's child, born Jan 5, 2005)
Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb married Molly Hullis in 1968. They had two children: Spencer David
(Sept 21, 1972) and Melissa Jane (Jun 17, 1974).
Muarice Gibb
Maurice Gibb married the British singer Lulu in 1969. Four year laters they split, and on Oct 17, 1975 Maurice married Yvonne Spenceley (born on Sept 24, 1950). They have two children: Adam Andrew (Feb 23, 1976) and Samantha Amanda (Jul 2, 1980)
