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Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid- to late 1970s. The group sang recognisable three-part tight harmonies: Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid- to late 1970s and 1980s. The group wrote all their own original material, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop-music history.[4] They have been referred to in the media as The Disco Kings, Britain's First Family of Harmony, and The Kings of Dance Music.[5][6][7]

Bee Gees
The Bee Gees in 1977 (top to bottom): Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb
Background information
Also known asBGs (1958–1959)
Genres
Years active
  • 1958–1969
  • 1970–2003
  • 2006
  • 2009–2012
Labels
Past membersBarry Gibb
Robin Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Vince Melouney
Colin Petersen[2][3]
Geoff Bridgford
Websitebeegees.com

Born on the Isle of Man to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived in Chorlton, Manchester, England, until the late 1950s. There, in 1955, they formed the skiffle/rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes. The family then moved to Redcliffe, in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia, later to Cribb Island. After achieving their first chart successes in Australia as the Bee Gees, they returned to the UK in January 1967, when producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience. The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977) was the turning point of their career, with both the film and soundtrack having a cultural impact throughout the world, enhancing the disco scene's mainstream appeal. They won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever, including Album of the Year.

The Bee Gees have sold over 220 million records worldwide[8][9] placing them among the best-selling music artists of all time, as well as the most successful trio in the history of contemporary music.[10] They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997;[11] the Hall's citation says, "Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees."[12] With nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the Bee Gees are the third-most successful band in Billboard charts history behind only the Beatles and the Supremes.[13]

Following Maurice's sudden death in January 2003 aged 53, Barry and Robin retired the group's name after 45 years of activity. In 2009 Robin announced he and Barry had agreed the Bee Gees would re-form and perform again.[14] Robin died in May 2012, aged 62, after a prolonged period of failing health, leaving Barry as the only surviving member of the group.[15]

History

1955–1966: Music origins, Bee Gees formation and popularity in Australia

 
Bee Gees plaque at Maitland Terrace/Strang Road intersection in Union Mills, Isle of Man

Born on the Isle of Man during the late 1940s, the Gibb brothers moved to their father Hugh Gibb's home town Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, in 1955. They formed a skiffle/rock-and-roll group, the Rattlesnakes, which consisted of Barry on guitar and vocals, Robin and Maurice on vocals, and friends Paul Frost on drums and Kenny Horrocks on tea-chest bass. In December 1957, the boys began to sing in harmony. The story is told that they were going to lip-sync to a record in the local Gaumont cinema (as other children had done on previous weeks), but, as they were running to the theatre, the fragile shellac 78-RPM record broke. The brothers had to sing live, but received such a positive response from the audience they decided to pursue a singing career.[16] In May 1958, the Rattlesnakes disbanded when Frost and Horrocks left, so the Gibb brothers then formed Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats, with Barry as "Johnny Hayes".[17]

In August 1958, the Gibb family, including older sister Lesley and infant brother Andy (born in March 1958), emigrated to Australia and settled in Redcliffe, Queensland, just north-east of Brisbane. The young brothers began performing to raise pocket money. Speedway promoter and driver Bill Goode, who had hired the brothers to entertain the crowd at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960, introduced them to Brisbane radio-presenter jockey Bill Gates. The crowd at the speedway would throw money onto the track for the boys, who generally performed during the interval of meetings (usually on the back of a truck that drove around the track) and, in a deal with Goode, any money they collected from the crowd they were allowed to keep. Gates named the group the "BGs" (later changed to "Bee Gees") after his, Goode's and Barry Gibb's initials. The name was not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb", despite popular belief.[18][19][20]

During the next few years, they began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast. Through his songwriting, Barry sparked the interest of Australian star Col Joye, who helped the brothers get a recording deal in 1963 with Festival Records subsidiary Leedon Records under the name "Bee Gees". The three released two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists. In 1962 the Bee Gees were chosen as the supporting act for Chubby Checker's concert at the Sydney Stadium.[21]

From 1963 to 1966, the Gibb family lived at 171 Bunnerong Road, Maroubra, in Sydney.[22] Just prior to his death, Robin Gibb recorded the song "Sydney" about the brothers' experience of living in that city. It was released on his posthumous album 50 St. Catherine's Drive.[23] The house was demolished in 2016.[24]

A minor hit in 1965, "Wine and Women", led to the group's first LP, The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs. By 1966 Festival Records was, however, on the verge of dropping them from the Leedon roster because of their perceived lack of commercial success. At this time the brothers met the American-born songwriter, producer and entrepreneur Nat Kipner, who had just been appointed A&R manager of a new independent label, Spin Records. Kipner briefly took over as the group's manager and successfully negotiated their transfer to Spin in exchange for granting Festival the Australian distribution rights to the group's recordings.[25] Through Kipner the Bee Gees met engineer-producer, Ossie Byrne, who produced (or co-produced with Kipner) many of the earlier Spin recordings, most of which were cut at his own small, self-built St Clair Studio in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville. Byrne gave the Gibb brothers virtually unlimited access to St Clair Studio over a period of several months in mid-1966.[26] The group later acknowledged that this enabled them to greatly improve their skills as recording artists. During this productive time they recorded a large batch of original material—including the song that became their first major hit, "Spicks and Specks" (on which Byrne played the trumpet coda)—as well as cover versions of current hits by overseas acts such as the Beatles. They regularly collaborated with other local musicians, including members of beat band Steve & The Board, led by Steve Kipner, Nat's teenage son.[27]

Frustrated by their lack of success, the Gibbs began their return journey to England on 4 January 1967, with Ossie Byrne travelling with them. While at sea in January 1967, the Gibbs learned that Go-Set, Australia's most popular and influential music newspaper, had declared "Spicks and Specks" the "Best Single of the Year".[28]

1967–1969: International fame and touring years

Bee Gees' 1st, Horizontal and Idea

 
The Bee Gees in 1967 (left to right: Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Vince Melouney, Maurice Gibb and Colin Petersen)

Before their departure from Australia to England, Hugh Gibb sent demos to Brian Epstein, who managed the Beatles and directed NEMS, a British music store. Epstein passed the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood, who had recently joined NEMS.[29] After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967, the Bee Gees signed a five-year contract whereby Polydor Records would release their records in the UK, and Atco Records would do so in the US. Work quickly began on the group's first international album, and Stigwood launched a promotional campaign to coincide with its release.[30]

Stigwood proclaimed that the Bee Gees were "The most significant new musical talent of 1967", thus initiating the comparison of the Bee Gees to the Beatles. Before recording the first album, the group expanded to include Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney.[31] "New York Mining Disaster 1941", their second British single (their first-issued UK 45 rpm was "Spicks and Specks"), was issued to radio stations with a blank white label listing only the song title. Some DJs immediately assumed this was a new single by the Beatles and started playing the song in heavy rotation. This helped the song climb into the top 20 in both the UK and US.[32]

No such chicanery was needed to boost the Bee Gees' next single, "To Love Somebody", into the US Top 20. Originally written for Otis Redding, "To Love Somebody", a soulful ballad sung by Barry, has since become a pop standard covered by many artists.[33] Another single, "Holiday", released in the US, peaked at No. 16.[34]

The parent album, Bee Gees 1st (their first internationally), peaked at No. 7 in the US and No. 8 in the UK. Bill Shepherd was credited as the arranger. After recording that album, the group recorded their first BBC session at the Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, in London, with Bill Bebb as the producer, and they performed three songs. That session is included on BBC Sessions: 1967–1973 (2008).[35] After the release of Bee Gees' 1st, the group was first introduced in New York as "the English surprise".[36] At that time, the band made their first British TV appearance on Top of the Pops. Maurice recalled:

Jimmy Savile was on it and that was amazing because we'd seen pictures of him in the Beatles fan club book, so we thought we were really there! That show had Lulu, us, the Move, and the Stones doing 'Let's Spend the Night Together'. You have to remember this was really before the superstar was invented so you were all in it together.[37]

In late 1967, they began recording their second album. On 21 December 1967, in a live broadcast from Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for a Christmas television special called How On Earth?, they performed their own song, "Thank You For Christmas" which was written especially for the programme, as well as a medley of the traditional Christmas carols "Silent Night", "The First Noel" and "Mary's Boy Child" (the latter incorrectly noted as "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" on tape boxes and subsequent release). The songs were all pre-recorded on 1 December 1967 and the group lip-synched their performance. The recordings were eventually released on the "Horizontal" reissue bonus disc in 2008. The folk group the Settlers and Radio 1 disc-jockey, Kenny Everett, also performed on the programme, which was presented by the Reverend Edward H. Patey, dean of the cathedral.[38]

January 1968 began with a promotional trip to the US. Los Angeles Police were on alert in anticipation of a Beatles-type reception, and special security arrangements were being put in place.[31] In February, Horizontal repeated the success of their first album, featuring the group's first UK No. 1 single "Massachusetts" (a No. 11 US hit) and the No. 7 UK single "World".[39] The sound of the album Horizontal had a more "rock" sound than their previous release, although ballads like "And the Sun Will Shine" and "Really and Sincerely" were also prominent. The Horizontal album reached No. 12 in the US and No. 16 in the UK.[citation needed]

With the release of Horizontal, they also embarked on a Scandinavian tour with concerts in Copenhagen. Around the same time, the Bee Gees turned down an offer to write and perform the soundtrack for the film Wonderwall, according to director Joe Massot.[37]

On 27 February 1968, the band, backed by the 17-piece Massachusetts String Orchestra, began their first tour of Germany with two concerts at Hamburg Musikhalle. In March 1968, the band was supported by Procol Harum (who had a well-known hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale") on their German tour.[40] As Robin's partner Molly Hullis recalls: "Germans were wilder than the fans in England at the heights of Beatlemania." The tour schedule took them to 11 venues in as many days with 18 concerts played, finishing with a brace of shows at the Stadthalle, Braunschweig.

After that, the group was off to Switzerland. As Maurice described it:

There were over 5,000 kids at the airport in Zurich. The entire ride to Bern, the kids were waving Union Jacks. When we got to the hotel, the police weren't there to meet us and the kids crushed the car. We were inside and the windows were all getting smashed in, and we were on the floor.[37]

On 17 March, the band performed "Words" on The Ed Sullivan Show. The other artists who performed on that night's show were Lucille Ball, George Hamilton and Fran Jeffries.[41] On 27 March 1968, the band performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London.[37]

 
The Bee Gees performing on Dutch television Twien in 1968

Two more singles followed in early 1968: the ballad "Words" (No. 8 UK, No. 15 US) and the double A-sided single "Jumbo" backed with "The Singer Sang His Song". "Jumbo" only reached No. 25 in the UK and No. 57 in the US. The Bee Gees felt "The Singer Sang His Song" was the stronger of the two sides, an opinion shared by listeners in the Netherlands who made it a No. 3 hit.[citation needed]

Further Bee Gees chart singles followed: "I've Gotta Get a Message to You", their second UK No. 1 (No. 8 US), and "I Started a Joke" (No. 6 US), both culled from the band's third album Idea.[39] Idea reached No. 4 in the UK and was another top 20 album in the US (No. 17).[39]

After the tour and TV special to promote the album, Vince Melouney left the group, desiring to play more of a blues style music than the Gibbs were writing. Melouney did achieve one feat while with the Bee Gees: his composition "Such a Shame" (from Idea) is the only song on any Bee Gees album not written by a Gibb brother.[citation needed]

The band were due to begin a seven-week tour of the US on 2 August 1968, but on 27 July, Robin collapsed and fell unconscious. He was admitted to a London nursing home for nervous exhaustion, and the American tour was postponed.[37] The band began recording their sixth album, which resulted in their spending a week recording at Atlantic Studios in New York. Robin, still feeling poorly, missed the New York sessions, but the rest of the band put away instrumental tracks and demos.[42]

Odessa, Cucumber Castle and break-up

 
The Bee Gees performing at The Tom Jones Show in early 1969, one of the last performances with Robin as he left the group later in March

By 1969, Robin began to feel that Stigwood had been favouring Barry as the frontman.[43]

The Bee Gees' performances in early 1969 on the Top of the Pops and The Tom Jones Show performing "I Started a Joke" and "First of May" as a medley was one of the last live performances of the group with Robin.[44]

Their next album, which was to have been a concept album called Masterpeace, evolved into the double-album Odessa. Most rock critics felt this was the best Bee Gees album of the 1960s with its progressive rock feel on the title track, the country-flavoured "Marley Purt Drive" and "Give Your Best", and ballads such as "Melody Fair" and "First of May" (the last of which became the only single from the album and a UK # 6 hit). Feeling the flipside, "Lamplight", should have been the A-side, Robin quit the group in mid-1969 and launched a solo career.[citation needed]

The first of many Bee Gees compilations, Best of Bee Gees, was released featuring the non-LP single "Words" plus the Australian hit "Spicks and Specks". The single "Tomorrow Tomorrow" was also released and was a moderate hit in the UK, where it reached No. 23, but it was only No. 54 in the US. The compilation reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US.[39]

While Robin pursued his solo career, Barry, Maurice and Petersen continued on as the Bee Gees recording their next album, Cucumber Castle. The band made their debut performance without Robin at Talk of the Town. They had recruited their sister, Lesley, into the group at this time. To accompany the album, they also filmed a TV special with Frankie Howerd and cameos from several other contemporary pop and rock stars, which aired on the BBC in December 1970. Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album but was fired from the group after filming began (he went on to form the Humpy Bong with Jonathan Kelly). His parts were edited out of the final cut of the film and Pentangle drummer Terry Cox was recruited to complete the recording of songs for the album.[citation needed][45]

After the album was released in early 1970, it seemed that the Bee Gees were finished. The leadoff single, "Don't Forget to Remember", was a big hit in the UK, reaching No. 2, but only reached No. 73 in the US. The next two singles, "I.O.I.O." and "If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else", barely scraped the charts. On 1 December 1969, Barry and Maurice parted ways professionally.[46]

Maurice started to record his first solo album, The Loner, which was not released. Meanwhile, he released the single "Railroad" and starred in the West End musical Sing a Rude Song.[47] In February 1970, Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release either, although "I'll Kiss Your Memory" was released as a single backed by "This Time" without much interest.[48] Meanwhile, Robin saw success in Europe and Australia with his No. 2 hit "Saved by the Bell" and the album Robin's Reign.[citation needed]

1970–1974: Reformation

 
The Bee Gees performing at The Midnight Special in 1973

In mid 1970, according to Barry, "Robin rang me in Spain where I was on holiday [saying] 'let's do it again'". By 21 August 1970, after they had reunited, Barry announced that the Bee Gees "are there and they will never, ever part again". Maurice said, "We just discussed it and re-formed. We want to apologise publicly to Robin for the things that have been said."[17] Earlier, in June 1970, Robin and Maurice recorded a dozen songs before Barry joined and included two songs that were on their reunion album.[49] Around the same time, Barry and Robin were about to publish the book On the Other Hand.[17] They also recruited Geoff Bridgford as the group's official drummer. Bridgford had previously worked with the Groove and Tin Tin and played drums on Maurice's unreleased first solo album.[50]

In 1970, 2 Years On was released in October in the US and November in the UK. The lead single "Lonely Days" reached No. 3 in the United States, promoted by appearances on The Johnny Cash Show, Johnny Carson's Tonight Show, The Andy Williams Show, The Dick Cavett Show and The Ed Sullivan Show.[17]

Their ninth album, Trafalgar, was released in late 1971. The single "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" was their first to hit No. 1 on the US charts, while "Israel" reached No. 22 in the Netherlands. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" also brought the Bee Gees their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Later that year, the group's songs were included in the soundtrack for the film Melody.[citation needed]

In 1972, they hit No. 16 in the US with the non-album single "My World", backed by Maurice's composition "On Time". Another 1972 single, "Run to Me" from the LP To Whom It May Concern, returned them to the UK top 10 for the first time in three years.[39] Bridgford left the group partway through recording, and the band chose not to hire a new member to replace him.[citation needed] The resulting three-piece lineup of Barry, Robin and Maurice would remain unbroken for the remainder of the band's active years. On 24 November 1972, the band headlined the "Woodstock of the West" Festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum (which was a West Coast answer to Woodstock in New York), which also featured Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and the Eagles.[51][52] Also in 1972, the group sang "Hey Jude" with Wilson Pickett.[53]

By 1973, however, the Bee Gees were in a rut. The album Life in a Tin Can, released on Robert Stigwood's newly formed RSO Records, and its lead-off single, "Saw a New Morning", sold poorly with the single peaking at No. 94. This was followed by an unreleased album (known as A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants). A second compilation album, Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2, was released in 1973, although it did not repeat the success of Volume 1. On 6 April 1973 episode of The Midnight Special they performed "Money (That's What I Want)" with Jerry Lee Lewis.[54] Also in 1973, they were invited by Chuck Berry to perform two songs with him onstage at The Midnight Special: "Johnny B. Goode"[55] and "Reelin' and Rockin'".[56]

After a tour of the United States in early 1974 and a Canadian tour later in the year,[57] the group ended up playing small clubs.[58] As Barry joked, "We ended up in, have you ever heard of Batley's the variety club in (West Yorkshire) England?".[59]

On the advice of Ahmet Ertegun, head of their US label Atlantic Records, Stigwood arranged for the group to record with soul music producer Arif Mardin. The resulting LP, Mr. Natural, included fewer ballads and foreshadowed the R&B direction of the rest of their career. When it, too, failed to attract much interest, Mardin encouraged them to work within the soul music style. The brothers attempted to assemble a live stage band that could replicate their studio sound. Lead guitarist Alan Kendall had come on board in 1971 but did not have much to do until Mr. Natural. For that album, they added drummer Dennis Bryon, and they later added ex-Strawbs keyboard player Blue Weaver, completing the Bee Gees band that lasted through the late '70s. Maurice, who had previously performed on piano, guitar, harpsichord, electric piano, organ, mellotron and bass guitar, as well as mandolin and Moog synthesiser, by then confined himself to bass onstage.[citation needed]

1975–1979: Turning to disco

Main Course and Children of the World

 
Bee Gees' wordmark logo (1975–81)

At Eric Clapton's suggestion, the brothers moved to Miami, Florida, early in 1975 to record at Criteria Studios. After starting off with ballads, they eventually heeded the urging of Mardin and Stigwood, and crafted more dance-oriented disco songs, including their second US No. 1, "Jive Talkin'", along with US No. 7 "Nights on Broadway". The band liked the resulting new sound. This time the public agreed by sending the LP Main Course up the charts. This album included the first Bee Gees songs wherein Barry used falsetto,[60] something that became a trademark of the band. This was also the first Bee Gees album to have two US top-10 singles since 1968's Idea.[citation needed] Main Course also became their first charting R&B album.[citation needed]

On the Bee Gees' appearance on The Midnight Special in 1975, to promote Main Course, they sang "To Love Somebody" with Helen Reddy.[61] Around the same time, the Bee Gees recorded three Beatles covers—"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight", "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" with Barry providing lead vocals, and "Sun King" with Maurice providing lead vocals, for the unsuccessful musical/documentary All This and World War II.[62]

The next album, Children of the World, released in September 1976, was filled with Barry's new-found falsetto and Weaver's synthesizer disco licks.[citation needed] The first single from the album was "You Should Be Dancing", which features percussion work by musician Stephen Stills.[63] The song pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had not previously achieved in the US, though their new R&B/disco sound was not as popular with some diehard fans. The pop ballad "Love So Right" reached No. 3 in the US, and "Boogie Child" reached US No. 12 in January 1977.[64] The album peaked at No. 8 in the US.[65]

Saturday Night Fever and Spirits Having Flown

Following a successful live album, Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live, the Bee Gees agreed with Stigwood to participate in the creation of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It was the turning point of their career. The cultural impact of both the film and the soundtrack was significant throughout the world, epitomizing the disco phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic.[66]

The band's involvement in the film did not begin until post-production. As John Travolta asserted, "The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning ... I was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs."[67] Producer Robert Stigwood commissioned the Bee Gees to create the songs for the film.[68] The brothers wrote the songs "virtually in a single weekend" at Château d'Hérouville studio in France.[67] Barry Gibb remembered the reaction when Stigwood and music supervisor Bill Oakes arrived and listened to the demos:

They flipped out and said these will be great. We still had no concept of the movie, except some kind of rough script that they'd brought with them. ... You've got to remember, we were fairly dead in the water at that point, 1975, somewhere in that zone—the Bee Gees' sound was basically tired. We needed something new. We hadn't had a hit record in about three years. So we felt, Oh Jeez, that's it. That's our life span, like most groups in the late '60s. So, we had to find something. We didn't know what was going to happen.[67]

Bill Oakes, who supervised the soundtrack, asserts that Saturday Night Fever did not begin the disco craze but rather prolonged it: "Disco had run its course. These days, Fever is credited with kicking off the whole disco thing—it really didn't. Truth is, it breathed new life into a genre that was actually dying."[67]

Three Bee Gees singles—"How Deep Is Your Love" (US No. 1, UK No. 3), "Stayin' Alive" (US No. 1, UK No. 4) and "Night Fever" (US No. 1, UK No. 1)—charted high in many countries around the world, launching the most popular period of the disco era.[39] They also penned the song "If I Can't Have You", which became a US No. 1 hit for Yvonne Elliman, while the Bee Gees' own version was the B-side of "Stayin' Alive". Such was the popularity of Saturday Night Fever that two different versions of the song "More Than a Woman" received airplay, one by the Bee Gees, which was relegated to an album track, and another by Tavares, which was the hit.[citation needed]

During a nine-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977, seven songs written by the brothers held the No. 1 position on the US charts for 27 of 37 consecutive weeks: three of their own releases, two for brother Andy Gibb, the Yvonne Elliman single, and "Grease", performed by Frankie Valli.[citation needed]

Fuelled by the film's success, the soundtrack broke multiple industry records, becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that point. With more than 40 million copies sold, Saturday Night Fever is among music's top five best selling soundtrack albums. As of 2010, it is calculated as the fourth highest-selling album worldwide.[69]

In March 1978, the Bee Gees held the top two positions on the US charts with "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive", the first time this had happened since the Beatles. On the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 25 March 1978, five songs written by the Gibbs were in the US top 10 at the same time: "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive", "If I Can't Have You", "Emotion" and "Love Is Thicker Than Water". Such chart dominance had not been seen since April 1964, when the Beatles had all five of the top five American singles. Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four consecutive number-one hits in the US, breaking the John Lennon and Paul McCartney 1964 record. These songs were "Stayin' Alive", "Love Is Thicker Than Water", "Night Fever" and "If I Can't Have You".[70]

The Bee Gees won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever over two years: Album of the Year, Producer of the Year (with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson), two awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (one in 1978 for "How Deep Is Your Love" and one in 1979 for "Stayin' Alive"), and Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices for "Stayin' Alive".[citation needed]

During this era, Barry and Robin also wrote "Emotion" for an old friend, Australian vocalist Samantha Sang, who made it a top 10 hit, with the Bee Gees singing backing vocals. Barry also wrote the title song to the film version of the Broadway musical Grease for Frankie Valli to perform, which went to No. 1.[citation needed]

The Bee Gees also co-starred with Peter Frampton in Robert Stigwood's film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), loosely inspired by the classic 1967 album by the Beatles. The movie had been heavily promoted prior to release and was expected to enjoy great commercial success. However, it was savaged by film critics as a disjointed mess and ignored by the public. Though some of its tracks charted, the soundtrack too was a high-profile flop. The single "Oh! Darling", credited to Robin Gibb, reached No. 15 in the US.[71]

The Bee Gees' follow-up to Saturday Night Fever was the Spirits Having Flown album. It yielded three more hits: "Too Much Heaven" (US No. 1, UK No. 3), "Tragedy" (US No. 1, UK No. 1), and "Love You Inside Out" (US No. 1, UK No. 13).[39] This gave the act six consecutive No. 1 singles in the US within a year and a half, equalling the Beatles and surpassed only by Whitney Houston.[72]

In January 1979, the Bee Gees performed "Too Much Heaven" as their contribution to the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly.[73] During the summer of 1979, the Bee Gees embarked on their largest concert tour covering the US and Canada. The Spirits Having Flown tour capitalised on Bee Gees fever that was sweeping the nation, with sold-out concerts in 38 cities. The Bee Gees produced a video for the title track "Too Much Heaven", directed by Miami-based filmmaker Martin Pitts and produced by Charles Allen. With this video, Pitts and Allen began a long association with the brothers.[74]

The Bee Gees even had a country hit in 1979 with "Rest Your Love on Me", the flip side of their pop hit "Too Much Heaven", which made the top 40 on the country charts. It was also a 1981 hit for Conway Twitty, topping the country music charts.[75]

The Bee Gees' overwhelming success rose and fell with the disco bubble. By the end of 1979, disco was rapidly declining in popularity, and the backlash against disco put the Bee Gees' American career in a tailspin. Encouraged by Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition Night Radio stations around the US began promoting "Bee Gee-Free Weekends". Following their remarkable run from 1975 to 1979, the act had only one more top 10 single in the US, and that did not come until the single "One" reached number 7 in 1989.[13]

Barry Gibb considered the success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack both a blessing and a curse:

Fever was No. 1 every week ... It wasn't just like a hit album. It was No. 1 every single week for 25 weeks. It was just an amazing, crazy, extraordinary time. I remember not being able to answer the phone, and I remember people climbing over my walls. I was quite grateful when it stopped. It was too unreal. In the long run, your life is better if it's not like that on a constant basis. Nice though it was.[67]

1980–1986: Outside projects, band turmoil, solo efforts and decline

Robin co-produced Jimmy Ruffin's Sunrise released in May 1980, but the songs were started in 1979; the album contains songs written by the Gibb brothers, including the single "Hold On To My Love".[76]

In March 1980, Barry Gibb worked with Barbra Streisand on her album Guilty. He co-produced, and wrote or co-wrote all nine of the album's tracks (four of them written with Robin, and the title track with both Robin and Maurice). Barry also appeared on the album's cover with Streisand and duetted with her on two tracks. The album reached No. 1 in both the US and the UK, as did the single "Woman in Love" (written by Barry and Robin), becoming Streisand's most successful single and album to date. Both of the Streisand/Gibb duets, "Guilty" and "What Kind of Fool", also reached the US Top 10.[citation needed]

In 1981, the Bee Gees released the album Living Eyes, their last full-length album release on RSO. This album was the first CD ever played in public, when it was played to viewers of the BBC show Tomorrow's World.[77] With the disco backlash still running strong, the album failed to make the UK or US Top 40—breaking their streak of Top 40 hits, which started in 1975 with "Jive Talkin'". Two singles from the album fared little better—"He's a Liar", which reached No. 30 in the US, and "Living Eyes", which reached No. 45.[citation needed]

In 1982, Dionne Warwick enjoyed a UK No. 2 and US Adult Contemporary No. 1 hit with her comeback single, "Heartbreaker", taken from her eponymous album written largely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry Gibb. The album reached No. 3 in the UK and the Top 30 in the US, where it was certified Gold.

A year later, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded the Bee Gees-penned track "Islands in the Stream", which became a US and Australian No. 1 hit and entered the Top 10 in the UK. Rogers' 1983 album, Eyes That See in the Dark, was written entirely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry. The album was a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified Double Platinum.[citation needed]

The Bee Gees had greater success with the soundtrack to Staying Alive in 1983, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever. The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US, and included their Top 30 hit "The Woman in You".[citation needed]

Also in 1983, the band was sued by Chicago songwriter Ronald Selle, who claimed the brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs, "Let It End", and used it in "How Deep Is Your Love". At first, the Bee Gees lost the case; one juror said that a factor in the jury's decision was the Gibbs' failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff's expert testimony that it was "impossible" for the two songs to have been written independently. However, the verdict was overturned a few months later.[78]

In August 1983, Barry signed a solo deal with MCA Records and spent much of late 1983 and 1984 writing songs for this first solo effort, Now Voyager.[79] Robin released three solo albums in the 1980s, How Old Are You?, Secret Agent and Walls Have Eyes. Maurice released his second single to date, "Hold Her in Your Hand", the first one having been released in 1970.[citation needed]

In 1985, Diana Ross released the album Eaten Alive, written by the Bee Gees, with the title track co-written with Michael Jackson (who also performed on the track). The album was again co-produced by Barry Gibb, and the single "Chain Reaction" gave Ross a UK and Australian No. 1 hit.[citation needed]

1987–1999: Comeback, return to popularity and Andy's death

The Bee Gees released the album E.S.P. in 1987, which sold over 2 million copies.[80] It was their first album in six years, and their first for Warner Bros. Records. The single "You Win Again" went to No. 1 in numerous countries, including the UK,[81] and made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.[82] The single was a disappointment in the US, charting at No. 75, and the Bee Gees voiced their frustration over American radio stations not playing their new European hit single, an omission which the group felt led to poor sales of their current album in the US. The song won the Bee Gees the 1987 British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, and in February 1988 the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group.[83][citation needed]

On 10 March 1988, younger brother Andy Gibb died, aged 30, as a result of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle due to a recent viral infection. The Bee Gees later got together with Eric Clapton to create a group called 'the Bunburys' to raise money for English charities. The group recorded three songs for The Bunbury Tails: "We're the Bunburys" (which eventually became the opening theme to the 1992 animated series The Bunbury Tails), "Bunbury Afternoon", and "Fight (No Matter How Long)". The last song reached No. 8 on the rock music chart and appeared on The 1988 Summer Olympics Album.[84] The Bee Gees' next album, One (1989), featured a song dedicated to Andy, "Wish You Were Here". The album also contained their first US Top 10 hit (No. 7) in a decade, "One" (an Adult Contemporary No. 1). After the album's release, the band embarked on its first world tour in 10 years.[citation needed]

In the UK, Polydor issued a single-disc hits collection from Tales called The Very Best of the Bee Gees, which contained their biggest UK hits. The album became one of their best-selling albums in that country, and was eventually certified Triple Platinum.[citation needed]

Following their next album, High Civilization (1991), which contained the UK top five hit "Secret Love", the Bee Gees went on a European tour. After the tour, Barry Gibb began to battle a serious back problem, which required surgery. In addition, he had arthritis which, at one point, was so severe that it was doubtful that he would be able to play guitar for much longer. Also, in the early 1990s, Maurice Gibb finally sought treatment for his alcoholism, which he had battled for many years with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous.[citation needed]

In 1993, the group returned to the Polydor label and released the album Size Isn't Everything, which contained the UK top five hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Success still eluded them in the US, however, as the first single released, "Paying the Price of Love", only managed to reach No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the parent album stalled at No. 153.[citation needed]

In 1997, they released the album Still Waters, which has reached No. 2 in the UK (their highest album chart position there since 1979) and No. 11 in the US. The album's first single, "Alone", gave them another UK Top 5 hit and a top 30 hit in the US. Still Waters was the band's most successful US release of their post-RSO era.[85]

At the 1997 BRIT Awards held in Earls Court, London on 24 February, the Bee Gees received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[86] On 14 November 1997, the Bee Gees performed a live concert in Las Vegas called One Night Only. The show included a performance of "Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)" synchronised with a vocal by their deceased brother Andy and a cameo appearance by Celine Dion singing "Immortality". The "One Night Only" name grew out of the band's declaration that, due to Barry's health issues, the Las Vegas show was to be the final live performance of their career. After the immensely positive audience response to the Vegas concert, Barry decided to continue despite the pain, and the concert expanded into their last full-blown world tour of "One Night Only" concerts.[37][page needed] The tour included playing to 56,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium on 5 September 1998 and concluded in the newly built Olympic Stadium in Sydney, Australia on 27 March 1999 to 72,000 people.[37][page needed]

In 1998, the group's soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever was incorporated into a stage production produced first in the West End and then on Broadway. They wrote three new songs for the adaptation. Also in 1998, the brothers released "Ellan Vannin" for Manx charities, recorded the previous year. Known as the unofficial national anthem of the Isle of Man, the brothers performed the song during their world tour to reflect their pride in the place of their birth.[87]

The Bee Gees closed the century with what turned out to be their last full-sized concert, known as BG2K, on 31 December 1999.[citation needed]

2000–2008: This Is Where I Came In and Maurice's death

In 2001, the group released what turned out to be their final album of new material, This Is Where I Came In. The album was another success, reaching the Top 10 in the UK (being certified Gold), and the Top 20 in the US. The title track was also a UK Top 20 hit single.[88]

The last concert of the Bee Gees as a trio was at the Love and Hope Ball in 2002.[89] Maurice Gibb died unexpectedly on 12 January 2003, at age 53, from a heart attack while awaiting emergency surgery to repair a strangulated intestine.[90] Initially, his surviving brothers announced that they intended to carry on the name "Bee Gees" in his memory, but as time passed they decided to retire the group's name, leaving it to represent the three brothers together.[91]

The same week that Maurice died, Robin's solo album Magnet was released. On 23 February 2003, the Bee Gees received the Grammy Legend Award, they also became the first recipients of that award in the 21st century. Barry and Robin accepted as well as Maurice's son, Adam, in a tearful ceremony.[92]

In late 2004, Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia. During January 2005, Barry, Robin and several legendary rock artists recorded "Grief Never Grows Old", the official tsunami relief record for the Disasters Emergency Committee. Later that year, Barry reunited with Barbra Streisand for her top-selling album Guilty Pleasures, released as Guilty Too in the UK as a sequel album to the previous Guilty.[citation needed] Also in 2004, Barry recorded his song "I Cannot Give You My Love" with Cliff Richard, which became a UK top 20 hit single.[93]

In February 2006, Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute. It was their first public performance together since Maurice's death. The pair also played at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on 20 May 2006.[94]

2009–2012: Return to performing and Robin's death

Barry and Robin performed on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing on 31 October 2009[95] and appeared on ABC-TV's Dancing with the Stars on 17 November 2009.[96] On 15 March 2010, Barry and Robin inducted the Swedish group ABBA into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[97] On 26 May 2010, the two made a surprise appearance on the ninth-season finale of American Idol.

On 20 November 2011 it was announced that Robin Gibb, at 61 years old, had been diagnosed with liver cancer, a condition he had become aware of several months earlier. He had become noticeably thinner in previous months and had to cancel several appearances due to severe abdominal pain.[98] Robin joined British military trio the Soldiers for the Coming Home charity concert on 13 February 2012 at the London Palladium, in support of injured servicemen. It was his first public appearance for almost five months and, as it turned out, his final one.[99] On 14 April 2012, it was reported that Robin had contracted pneumonia[100] in a Chelsea hospital and was in a coma.[101] Although he came out of his coma on 20 April 2012, his condition deteriorated rapidly[102] and he died on 20 May 2012 of liver and kidney failure.[103]

2013–present: Looking back at a lifetime of music

In September and October 2013, Barry performed his first solo tour "in honour of his brothers and a lifetime of music".[104] In addition to the Rhino collection, The Studio Albums: 1967–1968, Warner Bros. released a box set in 2014 called The Warner Bros Years: 1987–1991 that included the studio albums E.S.P., One and High Civilization as well as extended mixes and B-sides. It also included the band's entire 1989 concert in Melbourne, Australia, available only on video as All for One prior to this release.[105] The documentary The Joy of the Bee Gees was aired on BBC Four on 19 December 2014.[106]

On 23 March 2015, 13STAR Records released a box set 1974–1979 which included the studio albums Mr. Natural, Main Course, Children of the World and Spirits Having Flown. A fifth disc called The Miami Years includes all the tracks from Saturday Night Fever as well as B-sides. No unreleased tracks from the era were included.[107]

After a hiatus from performing, Barry Gibb returned to solo and guest singing performances. He occasionally appears with his son, Steve Gibb.[108] In 2016, he released In the Now, his first solo effort since 1984's Now Voyager. It was the first release of new Bee Gees-related music since the posthumous release of Robin Gibb's 50 St. Catherine's Drive. Also in 2016, Capitol Records signed a new distribution deal with Barry and the estates of his brothers for the Bee Gees catalogue, bringing their music back to Universal.[109][110]

An as-yet-untitled biopic about the Bee Gees is in development at Paramount, with Kenneth Branagh directing and Barry Gibb serving as an executive producer.[111][112]

Influences

The Bee Gees were influenced by the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, the Mills Brothers, Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones,[113][114] Roy Orbison,[115] the Beach Boys[116] and Stevie Wonder.[117] On the 2014 documentary The Joy of the Bee Gees, Barry said that the Bee Gees were also influenced by the Hollies and Otis Redding.[118][119] Maurice noted that Neil Sedaka was an early influence,[120] and later the group was "very influenced" by Linda Creed songs for the Stylistics.[121]

Legacy

In his 1980 Playboy magazine interview, John Lennon praised the Bee Gees, "Try to tell the kids in the seventies who were screaming to the Bee Gees that their music was just the Beatles redone. There is nothing wrong with the Bee Gees. They do a damn good job. There was nothing else going on then."[122]

In a 2007 interview with Duane Hitchings, who co-wrote Rod Stewart's 1978 disco song "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", he noted that the song was:[123]

a spoof on guys from the 'cocaine lounge lizards' of the Saturday Night Fever days. We Rock and Roll guys thought we were dead meat when that movie and the Bee Gees came out. The Bee Gees were brilliant musicians and really nice people. No big egos. Rod, in his brilliance, decided to do a spoof on disco. VERY smart man. There is no such thing as a "dumb" super success in the music business.[123]

Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has said that listening to the Bee Gees after taking mushrooms inspired him to change the sound of the music he was making on his album Currents.[124]

The English indie rock band the Cribs was also influenced by the Bee Gees. Cribs member Ryan Jarman said: "It must have had quite a big influence on us – pop melodies is something we always revert to. I always want to get back to pop melodies and I'm sure that's due to that Bee Gees phase we went through."[125]

Following Robin's death on 20 May 2012, Beyoncé remarked: "The Bee Gees were an early inspiration for me, Kelly Rowland and Michelle. We loved their songwriting and beautiful harmonies. Recording their classic song, 'Emotion' was a special time for Destiny's Child. Sadly we lost Robin Gibb this week. My heart goes out to his brother Barry and the rest of his family."[126]

Singer Jordin Sparks remarked that her favourite Bee Gees songs are "Too Much Heaven", "Emotion" (although performed by Samantha Sang with Barry on the background vocals using his falsetto), and "Stayin' Alive".[127]

Carrie Underwood said, about discovering the Bee Gees during her childhood, "My parents listened to the Bee Gees quite a bit when I was little, so I was definitely exposed to them at an early age. They just had a sound that was all their own, obviously, [it was] never duplicated."[127]

Songwriting

Everyone should be aware that the Bee Gees are second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music.

—Music historian Paul Gambaccini.[128]

At one point, in 1978, the Gibb brothers were responsible for writing and/or performing nine of the songs in the Billboard Hot 100.[129] In all, the Gibbs placed 13 singles onto the Hot 100 in 1978, with 12 making the Top 40. The Gibb brothers are fellows of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).[130] At least 2,500 artists have recorded their songs.[131]

Singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw spoke about the Bee Gees' influence with their own music as well as their songwriting:

Let's talk about the Bee Gees. That's an iconic group. Not just a great band, but a great group of songwriters. Even long after the Bee Gees' success on the pop charts, they were still writing songs for other people, huge hit songs. Their talent went far beyond their moment of normal pop success. It is a loss to the music industry and a loss of an iconic group. The beauty of this industry is that we do pay tribute and every artist coming up is a fan of a generation prior to it, so there's a real tradition element to it".[127]

In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Bee Gees were announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for their role as "Influential Artists".[132]

Accolades and achievements

 
Bee Gees' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

In 1978, following the success of Saturday Night Fever, and the single "Night Fever" in particular, Reubin Askew, the governor of the US state of Florida, named the Bee Gees honorary citizens of the state, since they resided in Miami at the time.[133] In 1979, the Bee Gees got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They were the subjects of This Is Your Life in 1991 when they were surprised by Michael Aspel while being interviewed by disc jockey Steve Wright (DJ) on his Radio 1 programme at BBC Broadcasting House.[citation needed]

The Bee Gees were inducted in 1994 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well as Florida's Artists Hall of Fame in 1995 and the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997. Also in 1997, the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the presenter of the award to "Britain's First Family of Harmony" was Brian Wilson, historical leader of the Beach Boys, another "family act" featuring three harmonising brothers.[134] In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.[135] After Maurice's death, the Bee Gees were also inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2001, London's Walk of Fame in 2006 and Musically Speaking Hall Of Fame in 2008. On 15 May 2007, the Bee Gees were named BMI Icons at the 55th annual BMI Pop Awards. Collectively, Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb have earned 109 BMI Pop, Country and Latin Awards.[136]

In October 1999, the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of six stamps honouring the Bee Gees.[137]

In the 2002 New Year's Honours, announced on 31 December 2001, all three brothers were appointed as Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). By the time of the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 27 May 2004 Maurice had died, and he was represented at the ceremony by his son Adam.[138][139] On 10 July 2009, the Isle of Man's capital bestowed the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas honour on Barry and Robin, as well as posthumously on Maurice.[140] On 20 November 2009, the Douglas Borough Council released a limited edition commemorative DVD to mark their naming as Freemen of the Borough.[141]

 
Bee Gees Way in Redcliffe with 2015 statue

On 14 February 2013, Barry Gibb unveiled a statue of the Bee Gees as well as unveiling "Bee Gees Way" (a walkway filled with photos and videos of the Bee Gees) in honour of the Bee Gees in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia.[142][143][144][145] On 27 June 2018, Barry Gibb, the last surviving member of the Bee Gees, was knighted by Prince Charles after being named on the Queen's New Year's Honours List.[146][147] The statue of the Bee Gees in Douglas, Isle of Man, was installed in 2021.

In 2022, the last surviving member of the group, Barry Gibb, was made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia which is Australia's highest national honour.[148]

The Bee Gees have sold over 220 million records worldwide,[110] making them one of the best selling artists of all time. The group are to date the most successful family and sibling band of all time, the most successful musical trio of all time, and the most successful musical act with ties to Australia.[citation needed]

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result Ref.
1978 Grammy Awards Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group "How Deep Is Your Love" Won [149]
1979 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Saturday Night Fever Won [150]
Best Arrangement of Voices "Stayin' Alive" Won [150]
Album of the Year Saturday Night Fever Won [151]
Producer of the Year Saturday Night Fever Won
American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group Bee Gees Won
Favorite Soul/R&B Album Saturday Night Fever Won
1980 Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group Bee Gees Won
Favorite Pop/Rock Album Spirits Having Flown Won [152]
1997 International Artist Award Bee Gees Won
BRIT Awards Outstanding Contribution To Music Bee Gees Won
World Music Awards Legend Award Bee Gees Won [153]
2003 Grammy Awards
Special award of merit
Legend Award Bee Gees Won [154]
2004 Hall of Fame Award Saturday Night Fever Won [155]
2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Bee Gees Won [156]

Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[157]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2009[158] themselves Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award awarded

Band members

Timeline

Timeline of touring members

Discography

Soundtracks Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Staying Alive (1983) are not official Bee Gees albums, but contain some previously unreleased tracks. Apart from live and compilation, all their official albums are included on this list. A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants has not been included on the list because it appeared only on numerous bootlegs and was not officially released.[citation needed]

Studio albums

Concert tours

Filmography

Film
Year Title Director
1969 Cucumber Castle Hugh Gladwish
1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Michael Schultz
1997 Keppel Road Tony Cash
2010 In Our Own Time Martyn Atkins
2020 The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart Frank Marshall
Television shows
Year Title Director
1968 Idea Jean-Christophe Averty
1979 The Bee Gees Special Louis J. Horvitz
1994 Space Ghost Coast to Coast C. Martin Croker, Jeff Doud
2001 This Is Where I Came In David Leaf, John Scheinfield
2001 Live By Request Lawrence Jordan
Videography
Year Title Director
1989 One for All Tour Adrian Woods, Peter Demetris
1997 One Night Only Bee Gees

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General bibliography

  • Bilyeu, Melinda; Cook, Hector; Hughes, Andrew Môn (2009) [2003]. The Bee Gees: Tales of The Brothers Gibb. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-004-5. Retrieved 14 May 2013..

External links

  • Bee Gees Official website 7 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  • Bee Gees at Rolling Stone
  • Bee Gees at AllMusic
  • Bee Gees at bmi.com
  • Robin Gibb sadly passes away after losing his battle with cancer
  • Who Do You Think You Are? – Bee Gees Family History
  • Bee Gees interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1970)

gees, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, disambiguation, were, musical, group, formed, 1958, brothers, barry, robin, maurice, gibb, trio, were, especially, successful, popular, music, late, 1960s, early, 1970s, later, prominent, performers, disco, m. BGs redirects here For other uses see BG disambiguation and BGS disambiguation The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Robin and Maurice Gibb The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s and later as prominent performers in the disco music era in the mid to late 1970s The group sang recognisable three part tight harmonies Robin s clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits while Barry s R amp B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid to late 1970s and 1980s The group wrote all their own original material as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop music history 4 They have been referred to in the media as The Disco Kings Britain s First Family of Harmony and The Kings of Dance Music 5 6 7 Bee GeesThe Bee Gees in 1977 top to bottom Barry Robin and Maurice GibbBackground informationAlso known asBGs 1958 1959 GenresPop soul disco rock soft rock 1 Years active1958 1969 1970 2003 2006 2009 2012LabelsLeedon Spin Festival Polydor Atlantic RSO Warner Bros CapitolPast membersBarry GibbRobin GibbMaurice GibbVince MelouneyColin Petersen 2 3 Geoff BridgfordWebsitebeegees wbr comBorn on the Isle of Man to English parents the Gibb brothers lived in Chorlton Manchester England until the late 1950s There in 1955 they formed the skiffle rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes The family then moved to Redcliffe in the Moreton Bay Region Queensland Australia later to Cribb Island After achieving their first chart successes in Australia as the Bee Gees they returned to the UK in January 1967 when producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience The Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever soundtrack 1977 was the turning point of their career with both the film and soundtrack having a cultural impact throughout the world enhancing the disco scene s mainstream appeal They won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever including Album of the Year The Bee Gees have sold over 220 million records worldwide 8 9 placing them among the best selling music artists of all time as well as the most successful trio in the history of contemporary music 10 They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 11 the Hall s citation says Only Elvis Presley the Beatles Michael Jackson Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees 12 With nine number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 the Bee Gees are the third most successful band in Billboard charts history behind only the Beatles and the Supremes 13 Following Maurice s sudden death in January 2003 aged 53 Barry and Robin retired the group s name after 45 years of activity In 2009 Robin announced he and Barry had agreed the Bee Gees would re form and perform again 14 Robin died in May 2012 aged 62 after a prolonged period of failing health leaving Barry as the only surviving member of the group 15 Contents 1 History 1 1 1955 1966 Music origins Bee Gees formation and popularity in Australia 1 2 1967 1969 International fame and touring years 1 2 1 Bee Gees 1st Horizontal and Idea 1 2 2 Odessa Cucumber Castle and break up 1 3 1970 1974 Reformation 1 4 1975 1979 Turning to disco 1 4 1 Main Course and Children of the World 1 4 2 Saturday Night Fever and Spirits Having Flown 1 5 1980 1986 Outside projects band turmoil solo efforts and decline 1 6 1987 1999 Comeback return to popularity and Andy s death 1 7 2000 2008 This Is Where I Came In and Maurice s death 1 8 2009 2012 Return to performing and Robin s death 1 9 2013 present Looking back at a lifetime of music 2 Influences 3 Legacy 3 1 Songwriting 4 Accolades and achievements 4 1 Awards and nominations 4 2 Queensland Music Awards 5 Band members 6 Discography 6 1 Studio albums 7 Concert tours 8 Filmography 9 Citations 10 General bibliography 11 External linksHistory Edit1955 1966 Music origins Bee Gees formation and popularity in Australia Edit Bee Gees plaque at Maitland Terrace Strang Road intersection in Union Mills Isle of Man Born on the Isle of Man during the late 1940s the Gibb brothers moved to their father Hugh Gibb s home town Chorlton cum Hardy Manchester England in 1955 They formed a skiffle rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes which consisted of Barry on guitar and vocals Robin and Maurice on vocals and friends Paul Frost on drums and Kenny Horrocks on tea chest bass In December 1957 the boys began to sing in harmony The story is told that they were going to lip sync to a record in the local Gaumont cinema as other children had done on previous weeks but as they were running to the theatre the fragile shellac 78 RPM record broke The brothers had to sing live but received such a positive response from the audience they decided to pursue a singing career 16 In May 1958 the Rattlesnakes disbanded when Frost and Horrocks left so the Gibb brothers then formed Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats with Barry as Johnny Hayes 17 In August 1958 the Gibb family including older sister Lesley and infant brother Andy born in March 1958 emigrated to Australia and settled in Redcliffe Queensland just north east of Brisbane The young brothers began performing to raise pocket money Speedway promoter and driver Bill Goode who had hired the brothers to entertain the crowd at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960 introduced them to Brisbane radio presenter jockey Bill Gates The crowd at the speedway would throw money onto the track for the boys who generally performed during the interval of meetings usually on the back of a truck that drove around the track and in a deal with Goode any money they collected from the crowd they were allowed to keep Gates named the group the BGs later changed to Bee Gees after his Goode s and Barry Gibb s initials The name was not specifically a reference to Brothers Gibb despite popular belief 18 19 20 During the next few years they began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast Through his songwriting Barry sparked the interest of Australian star Col Joye who helped the brothers get a recording deal in 1963 with Festival Records subsidiary Leedon Records under the name Bee Gees The three released two or three singles a year while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists In 1962 the Bee Gees were chosen as the supporting act for Chubby Checker s concert at the Sydney Stadium 21 From 1963 to 1966 the Gibb family lived at 171 Bunnerong Road Maroubra in Sydney 22 Just prior to his death Robin Gibb recorded the song Sydney about the brothers experience of living in that city It was released on his posthumous album 50 St Catherine s Drive 23 The house was demolished in 2016 24 A minor hit in 1965 Wine and Women led to the group s first LP The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs By 1966 Festival Records was however on the verge of dropping them from the Leedon roster because of their perceived lack of commercial success At this time the brothers met the American born songwriter producer and entrepreneur Nat Kipner who had just been appointed A amp R manager of a new independent label Spin Records Kipner briefly took over as the group s manager and successfully negotiated their transfer to Spin in exchange for granting Festival the Australian distribution rights to the group s recordings 25 Through Kipner the Bee Gees met engineer producer Ossie Byrne who produced or co produced with Kipner many of the earlier Spin recordings most of which were cut at his own small self built St Clair Studio in the Sydney suburb of Hurstville Byrne gave the Gibb brothers virtually unlimited access to St Clair Studio over a period of several months in mid 1966 26 The group later acknowledged that this enabled them to greatly improve their skills as recording artists During this productive time they recorded a large batch of original material including the song that became their first major hit Spicks and Specks on which Byrne played the trumpet coda as well as cover versions of current hits by overseas acts such as the Beatles They regularly collaborated with other local musicians including members of beat band Steve amp The Board led by Steve Kipner Nat s teenage son 27 Frustrated by their lack of success the Gibbs began their return journey to England on 4 January 1967 with Ossie Byrne travelling with them While at sea in January 1967 the Gibbs learned that Go Set Australia s most popular and influential music newspaper had declared Spicks and Specks the Best Single of the Year 28 1967 1969 International fame and touring years Edit Bee Gees 1st Horizontal and Idea Edit See also The Bee Gees concerts in 1967 and 1968 The Bee Gees in 1967 left to right Barry Gibb Robin Gibb Vince Melouney Maurice Gibb and Colin Petersen Before their departure from Australia to England Hugh Gibb sent demos to Brian Epstein who managed the Beatles and directed NEMS a British music store Epstein passed the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood who had recently joined NEMS 29 After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967 the Bee Gees signed a five year contract whereby Polydor Records would release their records in the UK and Atco Records would do so in the US Work quickly began on the group s first international album and Stigwood launched a promotional campaign to coincide with its release 30 Stigwood proclaimed that the Bee Gees were The most significant new musical talent of 1967 thus initiating the comparison of the Bee Gees to the Beatles Before recording the first album the group expanded to include Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney 31 New York Mining Disaster 1941 their second British single their first issued UK 45 rpm was Spicks and Specks was issued to radio stations with a blank white label listing only the song title Some DJs immediately assumed this was a new single by the Beatles and started playing the song in heavy rotation This helped the song climb into the top 20 in both the UK and US 32 No such chicanery was needed to boost the Bee Gees next single To Love Somebody into the US Top 20 Originally written for Otis Redding To Love Somebody a soulful ballad sung by Barry has since become a pop standard covered by many artists 33 Another single Holiday released in the US peaked at No 16 34 The parent album Bee Gees 1st their first internationally peaked at No 7 in the US and No 8 in the UK Bill Shepherd was credited as the arranger After recording that album the group recorded their first BBC session at the Playhouse Theatre Northumberland Avenue in London with Bill Bebb as the producer and they performed three songs That session is included on BBC Sessions 1967 1973 2008 35 After the release of Bee Gees 1st the group was first introduced in New York as the English surprise 36 At that time the band made their first British TV appearance on Top of the Pops Maurice recalled Jimmy Savile was on it and that was amazing because we d seen pictures of him in the Beatles fan club book so we thought we were really there That show had Lulu us the Move and the Stones doing Let s Spend the Night Together You have to remember this was really before the superstar was invented so you were all in it together 37 In late 1967 they began recording their second album On 21 December 1967 in a live broadcast from Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for a Christmas television special called How On Earth they performed their own song Thank You For Christmas which was written especially for the programme as well as a medley of the traditional Christmas carols Silent Night The First Noel and Mary s Boy Child the latter incorrectly noted as Hark The Herald Angels Sing on tape boxes and subsequent release The songs were all pre recorded on 1 December 1967 and the group lip synched their performance The recordings were eventually released on the Horizontal reissue bonus disc in 2008 The folk group the Settlers and Radio 1 disc jockey Kenny Everett also performed on the programme which was presented by the Reverend Edward H Patey dean of the cathedral 38 January 1968 began with a promotional trip to the US Los Angeles Police were on alert in anticipation of a Beatles type reception and special security arrangements were being put in place 31 In February Horizontal repeated the success of their first album featuring the group s first UK No 1 single Massachusetts a No 11 US hit and the No 7 UK single World 39 The sound of the album Horizontal had a more rock sound than their previous release although ballads like And the Sun Will Shine and Really and Sincerely were also prominent The Horizontal album reached No 12 in the US and No 16 in the UK citation needed With the release of Horizontal they also embarked on a Scandinavian tour with concerts in Copenhagen Around the same time the Bee Gees turned down an offer to write and perform the soundtrack for the film Wonderwall according to director Joe Massot 37 On 27 February 1968 the band backed by the 17 piece Massachusetts String Orchestra began their first tour of Germany with two concerts at Hamburg Musikhalle In March 1968 the band was supported by Procol Harum who had a well known hit A Whiter Shade of Pale on their German tour 40 As Robin s partner Molly Hullis recalls Germans were wilder than the fans in England at the heights of Beatlemania The tour schedule took them to 11 venues in as many days with 18 concerts played finishing with a brace of shows at the Stadthalle Braunschweig After that the group was off to Switzerland As Maurice described it There were over 5 000 kids at the airport in Zurich The entire ride to Bern the kids were waving Union Jacks When we got to the hotel the police weren t there to meet us and the kids crushed the car We were inside and the windows were all getting smashed in and we were on the floor 37 On 17 March the band performed Words on The Ed Sullivan Show The other artists who performed on that night s show were Lucille Ball George Hamilton and Fran Jeffries 41 On 27 March 1968 the band performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London 37 The Bee Gees performing on Dutch television Twien in 1968 Two more singles followed in early 1968 the ballad Words No 8 UK No 15 US and the double A sided single Jumbo backed with The Singer Sang His Song Jumbo only reached No 25 in the UK and No 57 in the US The Bee Gees felt The Singer Sang His Song was the stronger of the two sides an opinion shared by listeners in the Netherlands who made it a No 3 hit citation needed Further Bee Gees chart singles followed I ve Gotta Get a Message to You their second UK No 1 No 8 US and I Started a Joke No 6 US both culled from the band s third album Idea 39 Idea reached No 4 in the UK and was another top 20 album in the US No 17 39 After the tour and TV special to promote the album Vince Melouney left the group desiring to play more of a blues style music than the Gibbs were writing Melouney did achieve one feat while with the Bee Gees his composition Such a Shame from Idea is the only song on any Bee Gees album not written by a Gibb brother citation needed The band were due to begin a seven week tour of the US on 2 August 1968 but on 27 July Robin collapsed and fell unconscious He was admitted to a London nursing home for nervous exhaustion and the American tour was postponed 37 The band began recording their sixth album which resulted in their spending a week recording at Atlantic Studios in New York Robin still feeling poorly missed the New York sessions but the rest of the band put away instrumental tracks and demos 42 Odessa Cucumber Castle and break up Edit The Bee Gees performing at The Tom Jones Show in early 1969 one of the last performances with Robin as he left the group later in March By 1969 Robin began to feel that Stigwood had been favouring Barry as the frontman 43 The Bee Gees performances in early 1969 on the Top of the Pops and The Tom Jones Show performing I Started a Joke and First of May as a medley was one of the last live performances of the group with Robin 44 Their next album which was to have been a concept album called Masterpeace evolved into the double album Odessa Most rock critics felt this was the best Bee Gees album of the 1960s with its progressive rock feel on the title track the country flavoured Marley Purt Drive and Give Your Best and ballads such as Melody Fair and First of May the last of which became the only single from the album and a UK 6 hit Feeling the flipside Lamplight should have been the A side Robin quit the group in mid 1969 and launched a solo career citation needed The first of many Bee Gees compilations Best of Bee Gees was released featuring the non LP single Words plus the Australian hit Spicks and Specks The single Tomorrow Tomorrow was also released and was a moderate hit in the UK where it reached No 23 but it was only No 54 in the US The compilation reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US 39 While Robin pursued his solo career Barry Maurice and Petersen continued on as the Bee Gees recording their next album Cucumber Castle The band made their debut performance without Robin at Talk of the Town They had recruited their sister Lesley into the group at this time To accompany the album they also filmed a TV special with Frankie Howerd and cameos from several other contemporary pop and rock stars which aired on the BBC in December 1970 Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album but was fired from the group after filming began he went on to form the Humpy Bong with Jonathan Kelly His parts were edited out of the final cut of the film and Pentangle drummer Terry Cox was recruited to complete the recording of songs for the album citation needed 45 After the album was released in early 1970 it seemed that the Bee Gees were finished The leadoff single Don t Forget to Remember was a big hit in the UK reaching No 2 but only reached No 73 in the US The next two singles I O I O and If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else barely scraped the charts On 1 December 1969 Barry and Maurice parted ways professionally 46 Maurice started to record his first solo album The Loner which was not released Meanwhile he released the single Railroad and starred in the West End musical Sing a Rude Song 47 In February 1970 Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release either although I ll Kiss Your Memory was released as a single backed by This Time without much interest 48 Meanwhile Robin saw success in Europe and Australia with his No 2 hit Saved by the Bell and the album Robin s Reign citation needed 1970 1974 Reformation Edit The Bee Gees performing at The Midnight Special in 1973 In mid 1970 according to Barry Robin rang me in Spain where I was on holiday saying let s do it again By 21 August 1970 after they had reunited Barry announced that the Bee Gees are there and they will never ever part again Maurice said We just discussed it and re formed We want to apologise publicly to Robin for the things that have been said 17 Earlier in June 1970 Robin and Maurice recorded a dozen songs before Barry joined and included two songs that were on their reunion album 49 Around the same time Barry and Robin were about to publish the book On the Other Hand 17 They also recruited Geoff Bridgford as the group s official drummer Bridgford had previously worked with the Groove and Tin Tin and played drums on Maurice s unreleased first solo album 50 In 1970 2 Years On was released in October in the US and November in the UK The lead single Lonely Days reached No 3 in the United States promoted by appearances on The Johnny Cash Show Johnny Carson s Tonight Show The Andy Williams Show The Dick Cavett Show and The Ed Sullivan Show 17 Their ninth album Trafalgar was released in late 1971 The single How Can You Mend a Broken Heart was their first to hit No 1 on the US charts while Israel reached No 22 in the Netherlands How Can You Mend a Broken Heart also brought the Bee Gees their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals Later that year the group s songs were included in the soundtrack for the film Melody citation needed In 1972 they hit No 16 in the US with the non album single My World backed by Maurice s composition On Time Another 1972 single Run to Me from the LP To Whom It May Concern returned them to the UK top 10 for the first time in three years 39 Bridgford left the group partway through recording and the band chose not to hire a new member to replace him citation needed The resulting three piece lineup of Barry Robin and Maurice would remain unbroken for the remainder of the band s active years On 24 November 1972 the band headlined the Woodstock of the West Festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum which was a West Coast answer to Woodstock in New York which also featured Sly and the Family Stone Stevie Wonder and the Eagles 51 52 Also in 1972 the group sang Hey Jude with Wilson Pickett 53 By 1973 however the Bee Gees were in a rut The album Life in a Tin Can released on Robert Stigwood s newly formed RSO Records and its lead off single Saw a New Morning sold poorly with the single peaking at No 94 This was followed by an unreleased album known as A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants A second compilation album Best of Bee Gees Volume 2 was released in 1973 although it did not repeat the success of Volume 1 On 6 April 1973 episode of The Midnight Special they performed Money That s What I Want with Jerry Lee Lewis 54 Also in 1973 they were invited by Chuck Berry to perform two songs with him onstage at The Midnight Special Johnny B Goode 55 and Reelin and Rockin 56 After a tour of the United States in early 1974 and a Canadian tour later in the year 57 the group ended up playing small clubs 58 As Barry joked We ended up in have you ever heard of Batley s the variety club in West Yorkshire England 59 On the advice of Ahmet Ertegun head of their US label Atlantic Records Stigwood arranged for the group to record with soul music producer Arif Mardin The resulting LP Mr Natural included fewer ballads and foreshadowed the R amp B direction of the rest of their career When it too failed to attract much interest Mardin encouraged them to work within the soul music style The brothers attempted to assemble a live stage band that could replicate their studio sound Lead guitarist Alan Kendall had come on board in 1971 but did not have much to do until Mr Natural For that album they added drummer Dennis Bryon and they later added ex Strawbs keyboard player Blue Weaver completing the Bee Gees band that lasted through the late 70s Maurice who had previously performed on piano guitar harpsichord electric piano organ mellotron and bass guitar as well as mandolin and Moog synthesiser by then confined himself to bass onstage citation needed 1975 1979 Turning to disco Edit Main Course and Children of the World Edit Bee Gees wordmark logo 1975 81 At Eric Clapton s suggestion the brothers moved to Miami Florida early in 1975 to record at Criteria Studios After starting off with ballads they eventually heeded the urging of Mardin and Stigwood and crafted more dance oriented disco songs including their second US No 1 Jive Talkin along with US No 7 Nights on Broadway The band liked the resulting new sound This time the public agreed by sending the LP Main Course up the charts This album included the first Bee Gees songs wherein Barry used falsetto 60 something that became a trademark of the band This was also the first Bee Gees album to have two US top 10 singles since 1968 s Idea citation needed Main Course also became their first charting R amp B album citation needed On the Bee Gees appearance on The Midnight Special in 1975 to promote Main Course they sang To Love Somebody with Helen Reddy 61 Around the same time the Bee Gees recorded three Beatles covers Golden Slumbers Carry That Weight She Came in Through the Bathroom Window with Barry providing lead vocals and Sun King with Maurice providing lead vocals for the unsuccessful musical documentary All This and World War II 62 The next album Children of the World released in September 1976 was filled with Barry s new found falsetto and Weaver s synthesizer disco licks citation needed The first single from the album was You Should Be Dancing which features percussion work by musician Stephen Stills 63 The song pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had not previously achieved in the US though their new R amp B disco sound was not as popular with some diehard fans The pop ballad Love So Right reached No 3 in the US and Boogie Child reached US No 12 in January 1977 64 The album peaked at No 8 in the US 65 Saturday Night Fever and Spirits Having Flown Edit Following a successful live album Here at Last Bee Gees Live the Bee Gees agreed with Stigwood to participate in the creation of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack It was the turning point of their career The cultural impact of both the film and the soundtrack was significant throughout the world epitomizing the disco phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic 66 The band s involvement in the film did not begin until post production As John Travolta asserted The Bee Gees weren t even involved in the movie in the beginning I was dancing to Stevie Wonder and Boz Scaggs 67 Producer Robert Stigwood commissioned the Bee Gees to create the songs for the film 68 The brothers wrote the songs virtually in a single weekend at Chateau d Herouville studio in France 67 Barry Gibb remembered the reaction when Stigwood and music supervisor Bill Oakes arrived and listened to the demos They flipped out and said these will be great We still had no concept of the movie except some kind of rough script that they d brought with them You ve got to remember we were fairly dead in the water at that point 1975 somewhere in that zone the Bee Gees sound was basically tired We needed something new We hadn t had a hit record in about three years So we felt Oh Jeez that s it That s our life span like most groups in the late 60s So we had to find something We didn t know what was going to happen 67 Bill Oakes who supervised the soundtrack asserts that Saturday Night Fever did not begin the disco craze but rather prolonged it Disco had run its course These days Fever is credited with kicking off the whole disco thing it really didn t Truth is it breathed new life into a genre that was actually dying 67 Three Bee Gees singles How Deep Is Your Love US No 1 UK No 3 Stayin Alive US No 1 UK No 4 and Night Fever US No 1 UK No 1 charted high in many countries around the world launching the most popular period of the disco era 39 They also penned the song If I Can t Have You which became a US No 1 hit for Yvonne Elliman while the Bee Gees own version was the B side of Stayin Alive Such was the popularity of Saturday Night Fever that two different versions of the song More Than a Woman received airplay one by the Bee Gees which was relegated to an album track and another by Tavares which was the hit citation needed During a nine month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977 seven songs written by the brothers held the No 1 position on the US charts for 27 of 37 consecutive weeks three of their own releases two for brother Andy Gibb the Yvonne Elliman single and Grease performed by Frankie Valli citation needed Fuelled by the film s success the soundtrack broke multiple industry records becoming the highest selling album in recording history to that point With more than 40 million copies sold Saturday Night Fever is among music s top five best selling soundtrack albums As of 2010 update it is calculated as the fourth highest selling album worldwide 69 In March 1978 the Bee Gees held the top two positions on the US charts with Night Fever and Stayin Alive the first time this had happened since the Beatles On the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 25 March 1978 five songs written by the Gibbs were in the US top 10 at the same time Night Fever Stayin Alive If I Can t Have You Emotion and Love Is Thicker Than Water Such chart dominance had not been seen since April 1964 when the Beatles had all five of the top five American singles Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four consecutive number one hits in the US breaking the John Lennon and Paul McCartney 1964 record These songs were Stayin Alive Love Is Thicker Than Water Night Fever and If I Can t Have You 70 The Bee Gees won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever over two years Album of the Year Producer of the Year with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson two awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals one in 1978 for How Deep Is Your Love and one in 1979 for Stayin Alive and Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices for Stayin Alive citation needed During this era Barry and Robin also wrote Emotion for an old friend Australian vocalist Samantha Sang who made it a top 10 hit with the Bee Gees singing backing vocals Barry also wrote the title song to the film version of the Broadway musical Grease for Frankie Valli to perform which went to No 1 citation needed The Bee Gees also co starred with Peter Frampton in Robert Stigwood s film Sgt Pepper s Lonely Hearts Club Band 1978 loosely inspired by the classic 1967 album by the Beatles The movie had been heavily promoted prior to release and was expected to enjoy great commercial success However it was savaged by film critics as a disjointed mess and ignored by the public Though some of its tracks charted the soundtrack too was a high profile flop The single Oh Darling credited to Robin Gibb reached No 15 in the US 71 The Bee Gees follow up to Saturday Night Fever was the Spirits Having Flown album It yielded three more hits Too Much Heaven US No 1 UK No 3 Tragedy US No 1 UK No 1 and Love You Inside Out US No 1 UK No 13 39 This gave the act six consecutive No 1 singles in the US within a year and a half equalling the Beatles and surpassed only by Whitney Houston 72 In January 1979 the Bee Gees performed Too Much Heaven as their contribution to the Music for UNICEF Concert at the United Nations General Assembly 73 During the summer of 1979 the Bee Gees embarked on their largest concert tour covering the US and Canada The Spirits Having Flown tour capitalised on Bee Gees fever that was sweeping the nation with sold out concerts in 38 cities The Bee Gees produced a video for the title track Too Much Heaven directed by Miami based filmmaker Martin Pitts and produced by Charles Allen With this video Pitts and Allen began a long association with the brothers 74 The Bee Gees even had a country hit in 1979 with Rest Your Love on Me the flip side of their pop hit Too Much Heaven which made the top 40 on the country charts It was also a 1981 hit for Conway Twitty topping the country music charts 75 The Bee Gees overwhelming success rose and fell with the disco bubble By the end of 1979 disco was rapidly declining in popularity and the backlash against disco put the Bee Gees American career in a tailspin Encouraged by Steve Dahl s Disco Demolition Night Radio stations around the US began promoting Bee Gee Free Weekends Following their remarkable run from 1975 to 1979 the act had only one more top 10 single in the US and that did not come until the single One reached number 7 in 1989 13 Barry Gibb considered the success of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack both a blessing and a curse Fever was No 1 every week It wasn t just like a hit album It was No 1 every single week for 25 weeks It was just an amazing crazy extraordinary time I remember not being able to answer the phone and I remember people climbing over my walls I was quite grateful when it stopped It was too unreal In the long run your life is better if it s not like that on a constant basis Nice though it was 67 1980 1986 Outside projects band turmoil solo efforts and decline Edit Robin co produced Jimmy Ruffin s Sunrise released in May 1980 but the songs were started in 1979 the album contains songs written by the Gibb brothers including the single Hold On To My Love 76 In March 1980 Barry Gibb worked with Barbra Streisand on her album Guilty He co produced and wrote or co wrote all nine of the album s tracks four of them written with Robin and the title track with both Robin and Maurice Barry also appeared on the album s cover with Streisand and duetted with her on two tracks The album reached No 1 in both the US and the UK as did the single Woman in Love written by Barry and Robin becoming Streisand s most successful single and album to date Both of the Streisand Gibb duets Guilty and What Kind of Fool also reached the US Top 10 citation needed In 1981 the Bee Gees released the album Living Eyes their last full length album release on RSO This album was the first CD ever played in public when it was played to viewers of the BBC show Tomorrow s World 77 With the disco backlash still running strong the album failed to make the UK or US Top 40 breaking their streak of Top 40 hits which started in 1975 with Jive Talkin Two singles from the album fared little better He s a Liar which reached No 30 in the US and Living Eyes which reached No 45 citation needed In 1982 Dionne Warwick enjoyed a UK No 2 and US Adult Contemporary No 1 hit with her comeback single Heartbreaker taken from her eponymous album written largely by the Bee Gees and co produced by Barry Gibb The album reached No 3 in the UK and the Top 30 in the US where it was certified Gold A year later Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers recorded the Bee Gees penned track Islands in the Stream which became a US and Australian No 1 hit and entered the Top 10 in the UK Rogers 1983 album Eyes That See in the Dark was written entirely by the Bee Gees and co produced by Barry The album was a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified Double Platinum citation needed The Bee Gees had greater success with the soundtrack to Staying Alive in 1983 the sequel to Saturday Night Fever The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US and included their Top 30 hit The Woman in You citation needed Also in 1983 the band was sued by Chicago songwriter Ronald Selle who claimed the brothers stole melodic material from one of his songs Let It End and used it in How Deep Is Your Love At first the Bee Gees lost the case one juror said that a factor in the jury s decision was the Gibbs failure to introduce expert testimony rebutting the plaintiff s expert testimony that it was impossible for the two songs to have been written independently However the verdict was overturned a few months later 78 In August 1983 Barry signed a solo deal with MCA Records and spent much of late 1983 and 1984 writing songs for this first solo effort Now Voyager 79 Robin released three solo albums in the 1980s How Old Are You Secret Agent and Walls Have Eyes Maurice released his second single to date Hold Her in Your Hand the first one having been released in 1970 citation needed In 1985 Diana Ross released the album Eaten Alive written by the Bee Gees with the title track co written with Michael Jackson who also performed on the track The album was again co produced by Barry Gibb and the single Chain Reaction gave Ross a UK and Australian No 1 hit citation needed 1987 1999 Comeback return to popularity and Andy s death Edit The Bee Gees released the album E S P in 1987 which sold over 2 million copies 80 It was their first album in six years and their first for Warner Bros Records The single You Win Again went to No 1 in numerous countries including the UK 81 and made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK No 1 hit in each of three decades the 1960s 1970s and 1980s 82 The single was a disappointment in the US charting at No 75 and the Bee Gees voiced their frustration over American radio stations not playing their new European hit single an omission which the group felt led to poor sales of their current album in the US The song won the Bee Gees the 1987 British Academy s Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and in February 1988 the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group 83 citation needed On 10 March 1988 younger brother Andy Gibb died aged 30 as a result of myocarditis an inflammation of the heart muscle due to a recent viral infection The Bee Gees later got together with Eric Clapton to create a group called the Bunburys to raise money for English charities The group recorded three songs for The Bunbury Tails We re the Bunburys which eventually became the opening theme to the 1992 animated series The Bunbury Tails Bunbury Afternoon and Fight No Matter How Long The last song reached No 8 on the rock music chart and appeared on The 1988 Summer Olympics Album 84 The Bee Gees next album One 1989 featured a song dedicated to Andy Wish You Were Here The album also contained their first US Top 10 hit No 7 in a decade One an Adult Contemporary No 1 After the album s release the band embarked on its first world tour in 10 years citation needed In the UK Polydor issued a single disc hits collection from Tales called The Very Best of the Bee Gees which contained their biggest UK hits The album became one of their best selling albums in that country and was eventually certified Triple Platinum citation needed Following their next album High Civilization 1991 which contained the UK top five hit Secret Love the Bee Gees went on a European tour After the tour Barry Gibb began to battle a serious back problem which required surgery In addition he had arthritis which at one point was so severe that it was doubtful that he would be able to play guitar for much longer Also in the early 1990s Maurice Gibb finally sought treatment for his alcoholism which he had battled for many years with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous citation needed In 1993 the group returned to the Polydor label and released the album Size Isn t Everything which contained the UK top five hit For Whom the Bell Tolls Success still eluded them in the US however as the first single released Paying the Price of Love only managed to reach No 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 while the parent album stalled at No 153 citation needed In 1997 they released the album Still Waters which has reached No 2 in the UK their highest album chart position there since 1979 and No 11 in the US The album s first single Alone gave them another UK Top 5 hit and a top 30 hit in the US Still Waters was the band s most successful US release of their post RSO era 85 At the 1997 BRIT Awards held in Earls Court London on 24 February the Bee Gees received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music 86 On 14 November 1997 the Bee Gees performed a live concert in Las Vegas called One Night Only The show included a performance of Our Love Don t Throw It All Away synchronised with a vocal by their deceased brother Andy and a cameo appearance by Celine Dion singing Immortality The One Night Only name grew out of the band s declaration that due to Barry s health issues the Las Vegas show was to be the final live performance of their career After the immensely positive audience response to the Vegas concert Barry decided to continue despite the pain and the concert expanded into their last full blown world tour of One Night Only concerts 37 page needed The tour included playing to 56 000 people at London s Wembley Stadium on 5 September 1998 and concluded in the newly built Olympic Stadium in Sydney Australia on 27 March 1999 to 72 000 people 37 page needed In 1998 the group s soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever was incorporated into a stage production produced first in the West End and then on Broadway They wrote three new songs for the adaptation Also in 1998 the brothers released Ellan Vannin for Manx charities recorded the previous year Known as the unofficial national anthem of the Isle of Man the brothers performed the song during their world tour to reflect their pride in the place of their birth 87 The Bee Gees closed the century with what turned out to be their last full sized concert known as BG2K on 31 December 1999 citation needed 2000 2008 This Is Where I Came In and Maurice s death Edit In 2001 the group released what turned out to be their final album of new material This Is Where I Came In The album was another success reaching the Top 10 in the UK being certified Gold and the Top 20 in the US The title track was also a UK Top 20 hit single 88 The last concert of the Bee Gees as a trio was at the Love and Hope Ball in 2002 89 Maurice Gibb died unexpectedly on 12 January 2003 at age 53 from a heart attack while awaiting emergency surgery to repair a strangulated intestine 90 Initially his surviving brothers announced that they intended to carry on the name Bee Gees in his memory but as time passed they decided to retire the group s name leaving it to represent the three brothers together 91 The same week that Maurice died Robin s solo album Magnet was released On 23 February 2003 the Bee Gees received the Grammy Legend Award they also became the first recipients of that award in the 21st century Barry and Robin accepted as well as Maurice s son Adam in a tearful ceremony 92 In late 2004 Robin embarked on a solo tour of Germany Russia and Asia During January 2005 Barry Robin and several legendary rock artists recorded Grief Never Grows Old the official tsunami relief record for the Disasters Emergency Committee Later that year Barry reunited with Barbra Streisand for her top selling album Guilty Pleasures released as Guilty Too in the UK as a sequel album to the previous Guilty citation needed Also in 2004 Barry recorded his song I Cannot Give You My Love with Cliff Richard which became a UK top 20 hit single 93 In February 2006 Barry and Robin reunited on stage for a Miami charity concert to benefit the Diabetes Research Institute It was their first public performance together since Maurice s death The pair also played at the 30th annual Prince s Trust Concert in the UK on 20 May 2006 94 2009 2012 Return to performing and Robin s death Edit Barry and Robin performed on the BBC s Strictly Come Dancing on 31 October 2009 95 and appeared on ABC TV s Dancing with the Stars on 17 November 2009 96 On 15 March 2010 Barry and Robin inducted the Swedish group ABBA into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 97 On 26 May 2010 the two made a surprise appearance on the ninth season finale of American Idol On 20 November 2011 it was announced that Robin Gibb at 61 years old had been diagnosed with liver cancer a condition he had become aware of several months earlier He had become noticeably thinner in previous months and had to cancel several appearances due to severe abdominal pain 98 Robin joined British military trio the Soldiers for the Coming Home charity concert on 13 February 2012 at the London Palladium in support of injured servicemen It was his first public appearance for almost five months and as it turned out his final one 99 On 14 April 2012 it was reported that Robin had contracted pneumonia 100 in a Chelsea hospital and was in a coma 101 Although he came out of his coma on 20 April 2012 his condition deteriorated rapidly 102 and he died on 20 May 2012 of liver and kidney failure 103 2013 present Looking back at a lifetime of music Edit In September and October 2013 Barry performed his first solo tour in honour of his brothers and a lifetime of music 104 In addition to the Rhino collection The Studio Albums 1967 1968 Warner Bros released a box set in 2014 called The Warner Bros Years 1987 1991 that included the studio albums E S P One and High Civilization as well as extended mixes and B sides It also included the band s entire 1989 concert in Melbourne Australia available only on video as All for One prior to this release 105 The documentary The Joy of the Bee Gees was aired on BBC Four on 19 December 2014 106 On 23 March 2015 13STAR Records released a box set 1974 1979 which included the studio albums Mr Natural Main Course Children of the World and Spirits Having Flown A fifth disc called The Miami Years includes all the tracks from Saturday Night Fever as well as B sides No unreleased tracks from the era were included 107 After a hiatus from performing Barry Gibb returned to solo and guest singing performances He occasionally appears with his son Steve Gibb 108 In 2016 he released In the Now his first solo effort since 1984 s Now Voyager It was the first release of new Bee Gees related music since the posthumous release of Robin Gibb s 50 St Catherine s Drive Also in 2016 Capitol Records signed a new distribution deal with Barry and the estates of his brothers for the Bee Gees catalogue bringing their music back to Universal 109 110 An as yet untitled biopic about the Bee Gees is in development at Paramount with Kenneth Branagh directing and Barry Gibb serving as an executive producer 111 112 Influences EditThe Bee Gees were influenced by the Beatles the Everly Brothers the Mills Brothers Elvis Presley the Rolling Stones 113 114 Roy Orbison 115 the Beach Boys 116 and Stevie Wonder 117 On the 2014 documentary The Joy of the Bee Gees Barry said that the Bee Gees were also influenced by the Hollies and Otis Redding 118 119 Maurice noted that Neil Sedaka was an early influence 120 and later the group was very influenced by Linda Creed songs for the Stylistics 121 Legacy EditIn his 1980 Playboy magazine interview John Lennon praised the Bee Gees Try to tell the kids in the seventies who were screaming to the Bee Gees that their music was just the Beatles redone There is nothing wrong with the Bee Gees They do a damn good job There was nothing else going on then 122 In a 2007 interview with Duane Hitchings who co wrote Rod Stewart s 1978 disco song Da Ya Think I m Sexy he noted that the song was 123 a spoof on guys from the cocaine lounge lizards of the Saturday Night Fever days We Rock and Roll guys thought we were dead meat when that movie and the Bee Gees came out The Bee Gees were brilliant musicians and really nice people No big egos Rod in his brilliance decided to do a spoof on disco VERY smart man There is no such thing as a dumb super success in the music business 123 Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has said that listening to the Bee Gees after taking mushrooms inspired him to change the sound of the music he was making on his album Currents 124 The English indie rock band the Cribs was also influenced by the Bee Gees Cribs member Ryan Jarman said It must have had quite a big influence on us pop melodies is something we always revert to I always want to get back to pop melodies and I m sure that s due to that Bee Gees phase we went through 125 Following Robin s death on 20 May 2012 Beyonce remarked The Bee Gees were an early inspiration for me Kelly Rowland and Michelle We loved their songwriting and beautiful harmonies Recording their classic song Emotion was a special time for Destiny s Child Sadly we lost Robin Gibb this week My heart goes out to his brother Barry and the rest of his family 126 Singer Jordin Sparks remarked that her favourite Bee Gees songs are Too Much Heaven Emotion although performed by Samantha Sang with Barry on the background vocals using his falsetto and Stayin Alive 127 Carrie Underwood said about discovering the Bee Gees during her childhood My parents listened to the Bee Gees quite a bit when I was little so I was definitely exposed to them at an early age They just had a sound that was all their own obviously it was never duplicated 127 Songwriting Edit Everyone should be aware that the Bee Gees are second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music Music historian Paul Gambaccini 128 At one point in 1978 the Gibb brothers were responsible for writing and or performing nine of the songs in the Billboard Hot 100 129 In all the Gibbs placed 13 singles onto the Hot 100 in 1978 with 12 making the Top 40 The Gibb brothers are fellows of the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors BASCA 130 At least 2 500 artists have recorded their songs 131 Singer songwriter Gavin DeGraw spoke about the Bee Gees influence with their own music as well as their songwriting Let s talk about the Bee Gees That s an iconic group Not just a great band but a great group of songwriters Even long after the Bee Gees success on the pop charts they were still writing songs for other people huge hit songs Their talent went far beyond their moment of normal pop success It is a loss to the music industry and a loss of an iconic group The beauty of this industry is that we do pay tribute and every artist coming up is a fan of a generation prior to it so there s a real tradition element to it 127 In 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations the Bee Gees were announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for their role as Influential Artists 132 Accolades and achievements Edit Bee Gees star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame In 1978 following the success of Saturday Night Fever and the single Night Fever in particular Reubin Askew the governor of the US state of Florida named the Bee Gees honorary citizens of the state since they resided in Miami at the time 133 In 1979 the Bee Gees got their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame They were the subjects of This Is Your Life in 1991 when they were surprised by Michael Aspel while being interviewed by disc jockey Steve Wright DJ on his Radio 1 programme at BBC Broadcasting House citation needed The Bee Gees were inducted in 1994 into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as Florida s Artists Hall of Fame in 1995 and the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997 Also in 1997 the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the presenter of the award to Britain s First Family of Harmony was Brian Wilson historical leader of the Beach Boys another family act featuring three harmonising brothers 134 In 2001 they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame 135 After Maurice s death the Bee Gees were also inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2001 London s Walk of Fame in 2006 and Musically Speaking Hall Of Fame in 2008 On 15 May 2007 the Bee Gees were named BMI Icons at the 55th annual BMI Pop Awards Collectively Barry Maurice and Robin Gibb have earned 109 BMI Pop Country and Latin Awards 136 In October 1999 the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of six stamps honouring the Bee Gees 137 In the 2002 New Year s Honours announced on 31 December 2001 all three brothers were appointed as Commanders of the Order of the British Empire CBE By the time of the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 27 May 2004 Maurice had died and he was represented at the ceremony by his son Adam 138 139 On 10 July 2009 the Isle of Man s capital bestowed the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas honour on Barry and Robin as well as posthumously on Maurice 140 On 20 November 2009 the Douglas Borough Council released a limited edition commemorative DVD to mark their naming as Freemen of the Borough 141 Bee Gees Way in Redcliffe with 2015 statue On 14 February 2013 Barry Gibb unveiled a statue of the Bee Gees as well as unveiling Bee Gees Way a walkway filled with photos and videos of the Bee Gees in honour of the Bee Gees in Redcliffe Queensland Australia 142 143 144 145 On 27 June 2018 Barry Gibb the last surviving member of the Bee Gees was knighted by Prince Charles after being named on the Queen s New Year s Honours List 146 147 The statue of the Bee Gees in Douglas Isle of Man was installed in 2021 In 2022 the last surviving member of the group Barry Gibb was made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia which is Australia s highest national honour 148 The Bee Gees have sold over 220 million records worldwide 110 making them one of the best selling artists of all time The group are to date the most successful family and sibling band of all time the most successful musical trio of all time and the most successful musical act with ties to Australia citation needed Awards and nominations Edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed December 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Year Association Category Nominated work Result Ref 1978 Grammy Awards Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group How Deep Is Your Love Won 149 1979 Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group Saturday Night Fever Won 150 Best Arrangement of Voices Stayin Alive Won 150 Album of the Year Saturday Night Fever Won 151 Producer of the Year Saturday Night Fever WonAmerican Music Awards Favorite Pop Rock Band Duo or Group Bee Gees WonFavorite Soul R amp B Album Saturday Night Fever Won1980 Favorite Pop Rock Band Duo or Group Bee Gees WonFavorite Pop Rock Album Spirits Having Flown Won 152 1997 International Artist Award Bee Gees WonBRIT Awards Outstanding Contribution To Music Bee Gees WonWorld Music Awards Legend Award Bee Gees Won 153 2003 Grammy AwardsSpecial award of merit Legend Award Bee Gees Won 154 2004 Hall of Fame Award Saturday Night Fever Won 155 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Bee Gees Won 156 Queensland Music Awards Edit The Queensland Music Awards previously known as Q Song Awards are annual awards celebrating Queensland Australia s brightest emerging artists and established legends They commenced in 2006 157 Year Nominee work Award Result wins only 2009 158 themselves Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award awardedBand members EditPrincipal members Barry Gibb vocals rhythm guitar 1958 2003 2006 2009 2012 Robin Gibb vocals 1958 1969 1970 2003 2006 2009 2012 his death Maurice Gibb bass guitars keyboards vocals 1958 2003 his death Colin Petersen drums 1967 1969 159 Vince Melouney lead guitar 1967 1968 160 Geoff Bridgford drums 1971 1972 161 touring 1970 1971 162 Touring musicians Alan Kendall lead guitar 1971 1981 1989 2003 Chris Karan drums 1972 Dennis Bryon drums 1973 1981 Geoff Westley keyboards piano 1973 1976 Blue Weaver keyboards synthesizers 1975 1981 Joe Lala percussion 1976 1979 died 2014 Joey Murcia rhythm guitar 1976 1979 Harold Cowart bass 1979 Tim Cansfield lead guitar 1989 Vic Martin keyboard synthesizer 1989 Gary Moberly keyboard synthesizer 1989 George Perry bass 1989 1993 Chester Thompson drums 1989 Mike Murphy drums 1989 died 2006 Trevor Murrell drums 1991 1992 Rudi Dobson keyboards 1991 1992 Scott F Crago drums Ben Stivers keyboard 1996 1999 Matt Bonelli bass 1993 2001 Steve Rucker drums 1993 1999 Guest musicians studio and touring Phil Collins drums Lenny Castro percussion Glenn Frey guitar Timothy B Schmit bass guitar Joe Walsh lead guitar Don Felder lead guitar 1981 Jeff Porcaro drums Mike Porcaro bass guitar Steve Porcaro keyboards Steve Lukather guitar David Hungate bass guitar David Paich keyboards Greg Phillinganes keyboards Bobby Kimball keyboards Leland Sklar bass guitar Reb Beach lead guitar Gregg Bissonette drums Ricky Lawson drums Scott F Crago drums Steve Gadd drums Steve Ferrone drums Steve Jordan drums Nathan East bass guitar Steuart Smith lead guitar Vinnie Colaiuta drums Timeline Timeline of touring membersDiscography EditFor a more comprehensive list see Bee Gees discography and List of songs recorded by the Bee Gees See also Robin Gibb discography Soundtracks Saturday Night Fever 1977 and Staying Alive 1983 are not official Bee Gees albums but contain some previously unreleased tracks Apart from live and compilation all their official albums are included on this list A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants has not been included on the list because it appeared only on numerous bootlegs and was not officially released citation needed Studio albums Edit The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs 1965 Spicks and Specks 1966 Bee Gees 1st 1967 Horizontal 1968 Idea 1968 Odessa 1969 Cucumber Castle 1970 2 Years On 1970 Trafalgar 1971 To Whom It May Concern 1972 Life in a Tin Can 1973 Mr Natural 1974 Main Course 1975 Children of the World 1976 Spirits Having Flown 1979 Living Eyes 1981 E S P 1987 One 1989 High Civilization 1991 Size Isn t Everything 1993 Still Waters 1997 This Is Where I Came In 2001 Concert tours EditThe Bee Gees concerts in 1967 and 1968 1967 1968 2 Years On Tour 1971 Trafalgar Tour 1972 Mr Natural Tour 1974 Main Course Tour 1975 Children of the World Tour 1976 Spirits Having Flown Tour 1979 One for All World Tour 1989 High Civilization World Tour 1991 One Night Only World Tour 1997 1999 This Is Where I Came In 2001 Filmography EditFilm Year Title Director1969 Cucumber Castle Hugh Gladwish1978 Sgt Pepper s Lonely Hearts Club Band Michael Schultz1997 Keppel Road Tony Cash2010 In Our Own Time Martyn Atkins2020 The Bee Gees How Can You Mend a Broken Heart Frank MarshallTelevision shows Year Title Director1968 Idea Jean Christophe Averty1979 The Bee Gees Special Louis J Horvitz1994 Space Ghost Coast to Coast C Martin Croker Jeff Doud2001 This Is Where I Came In David Leaf John Scheinfield2001 Live By Request Lawrence JordanVideography Year Title Director1989 One for All Tour Adrian Woods Peter Demetris1997 One Night Only Bee GeesCitations Edit Soft Rock Music Artists AllMusic Retrieved 21 April 2017 Bee Gees Biography amp History AllMusic AllMusic Colin Peterson Biography amp History AllMusic AllMusic Meagher John 16 January 2021 Ten songs that tell the story of the Bee Gees independent The Career of Disco Kings the Bee Gees is Explored in New Documentary janksreviews com 23 November 2020 Retrieved 20 July 2021 The Bee Gees Rhino www rhino com Boogie to the sounds of the disco days during the Best of the Bee Gees Weekend 19 January 2021 I m In Defiance Of Time Barry Gibb On Music Family and Loss NPR 22 October 2016 Retrieved 6 March 2023 Curcio Ashley 29 November 2016 CAPITOL RECORDS SIGNS THE BEE GEES TO LONG TERM WORLDWIDE AGREEMENT ENCOMPASSING THE LEGENDARY GROUP S ENTIRE CATALOGUE OF RECORDED MUSIC UMG The Bee Gees Make the Pop of Ages idobi Network idobi com The Bee Gees biography Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 1997 Archived from the original on 28 June 2011 Retrieved 28 May 2012 Inductees Bee Gees The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 1997 Archived from the original on 16 June 2005 Retrieved 27 September 2013 a b Caulfield Keith 21 May 2012 Bee Gees Rank Third Among Groups for Most Hot 100 No 1s in History Billboard Retrieved 9 November 2019 Michaels Sean 8 September 2009 Bee Gees to re form for live comeback The Guardian London Retrieved 26 September 2009 Robin Gibb Bee Gees Co Founder Dead at 62 Rolling Stone 20 May 2012 Adriaensen Marion The story about The Bee Gees Part 2 1950 1960 Brothers Gibb Retrieved 9 May 2011 a b c d Hughes Andrew 2009 The Bee Gees Tales of the Brothers Gibb ISBN 9780857120045 Retrieved 29 January 2013 Dolgins Adam 1998 Rock Names From Abba to ZZ Top 3rd ed Citadel p 24 Behind the Name Bee Gees Bee Gees beegees com 21 August 2017 Retrieved 30 April 2018 The Bee Gees Redcliffe The Gibbs Brothers Timeline Visitmoretonbayregion com au Retrieved 30 April 2018 Marion Adriaensen History Part 3 The Story of the Bee Gees 1960 1965 Retrieved 26 January 2015 Mitchell Alex 30 May 2004 Bob Carr s tribute to Bee Gees Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 16 April 2012 Robin Gibb Sings Song For Sydney On Final Album noise11 com 3 August 2014 Retrieved 4 August 2014 Seiler Melissa 27 September 2016 Tragedy after the Bee Gees former Maroubra home demolished Daily Telegraph Retrieved 29 September 2016 MILESAGO Record Labels Spin Records www milesago com Retrieved 31 October 2020 DOWNUNDER RECORDS milesago com Retrieved 17 February 2015 Bee Gees Former Label Boss Nat Kipner Dies Billboard 9 December 2009 Archived from the original on 15 June 2015 Retrieved 17 February 2015 Those old hits keep Stayin Alive www dailytelegraph com au 16 July 2010 Retrieved 31 October 2020 Graff Gary 20 May 2012 Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees Dead at 62 Billboard Retrieved 19 February 2015 Margaret Moser Bill Crawford April 2007 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