Bee Gees brothers. Biography

The Bee Gees are an Australian-British pop group that became famous thanks to the soundtrack to the film “Saturday Night Fever”, winners of many awards and prizes, including Grammy Awards, BRIT Awards and World Music Awards.

For their creative success, the team was awarded a memorial sign on the Walk of Stars in Hollywood, and was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

History of creation and composition

The Bee Gees were formed in Australia in 1958 by the three Gibb brothers.

The elder Barry and twins Maurice and Robin were born in Douglas on the Isle of Man. Their father, Hughie Gibb, was a drummer and jazz big band leader.

The creative biography of the group began in 1955 in Charlton-cum-Hardy in England. The Gibb brothers formed the Rattlesnakes, which consisted of Barry (guitar-vocals), Robin and Maurice (vocals) and their friends Paul Frost (drums) and Kenny Horrocks (bass). In 1957, they were going to perform with a soundtrack at a local cinema, but before the concert it was discovered that the equipment had broken down, and the young musicians had to sing live. The public liked them and decided to continue their musical career.

In May 1958, Frost and Horrocks left the band and the Rattlesnakes disbanded. The Gibb brothers formed a new band, Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats.

In August 1958, the Gibb family moved to Australia and settled in Brisbane, where a new stage in the history of the group began. The brothers attended Northgate Public School and spent their spare time earning pocket money by playing music.

Barry, Maurice and Robin were soon introduced to local radio DJ Bill Gates and race organizer Bill Wood. The latter hired young musicians to entertain the crowd at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960.

The tandem of patrons renamed the group BGs, which stood for Barry Gibb, Bill Gates and Bill Goode. After some time, this name transformed into the Bee Gees and began to be perceived as Brothers Gibb. The band consisted of Barry Gibb (rhythm guitar, vocals), Robin Gibb (guitar, harmonica, vocals) and Maurice Gibb (lead guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, vocals). In 1967, the brothers were joined by Colin Pietersen (drums) and Vince Meloney (lead guitar), who was replaced by Alan Kendall in 1971.

Music

In 1960, the group made its debut on television, and then the musicians began touring resorts in Queensland. The Bee Gees trio aroused the interest of Australian singer and entrepreneur Col Joy, who helped the young men organize their first recording at Festival Records. In 1965, the group released their first studio album, The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs.

After some time, the brothers met engineer-producer Ossie Byrne, who gave the musicians unlimited access to the St. Clair studio, where in mid-1966 the Bee Gees recorded the song "Spicks and Specks", which became their first major hit.

At the end of 1966, seeing no prospects for further development in Australia, the young performers went to England. Before leaving, the musicians' father sent their demo to The Beatles' manager, who passed the recording on to producer Robert Stigwood.

In February 1967, the Bee Gees signed an album deal in the UK and US. They recorded the single "New York Mining Disaster 1941", which, thanks to active radio rotation, rose to the top 20 in both countries. In the same year, the band's first international album, Bee Gees 1st, was released, which became No. 8 in the UK and No. 7 in the USA.

The Bee Gees' second album, Horizontal, was no less successful, where the group acquired a rock sound. In early 1968, the musicians went on a trip to the United States, during which they became participants in the Smothers Brothers television show on CBS.

On February 27, 1968, the group conducted its first tour in Germany and Switzerland. After finishing their tour, the Bee Gees performed "Words" on The Ed Sullivan Show and performed in London at the Royal Albert Hall.

After their European tour, the Bee Gees suffered their first losses. Guitarist Vince Maloney left the band, and vocalist Robin Gibb was hospitalized with nervous exhaustion. The musicians abandoned the US tour and interrupted the recording of the album at a studio in New York.

By 1969, the Bee Gees released the double disc "Odessa", which critics still call the best in their work. After the release of the record, the group broke up; Robin Gibb left the group, disagreeing with the fact that the only single was the song “First of May”.

Robin Gibb began a solo career, and the rest of the musicians continued as the Bee Gees. They released the compilation album "Best of the Bee Gees", which reached the top 10 in the UK and US, and produced a television special which was broadcast on the BBC in 1971. During filming of the film's finale, the band fired drummer Colin Petersen and replaced him with Terry Cox, who re-recorded all of his predecessor's parts.

In the early 1970s, all Bee Gees musicians began solo projects. This gave reason to believe that the team ceased to exist. But in the summer of the same year, the brothers reunited at the initiative of Robin and announced that the group existed, their drummer was Jeff Bridgford, who had previously worked with Groove and Tin Tin. The team released the albums “2 Years On” and “Trafalgar”, which reached high positions in the UK and US charts.

Since 1973, the Bee Gees' popularity has declined. Their discs were not commercially successful and were poorly received by the public. Musicians began to experiment with style and sound. They recorded several R&B songs, then tried their luck in the direction of soul.

Creative searches led the team to Florida, where they began creating a new album, “Main Course,” which included hits in the style of electronic dance disco. The public was delighted with Barry Gibb's falsetto, 2 singles entered the top 10 of the American charts. But the real breakthrough was the separately released compositions from the 1976 album “Children of the World.”

Inspired by their success, the Bee Gees agreed to record the soundtrack for the film Saturday Night Fever, which won the hearts of millions. Over the course of 9 months, the brothers' 7 songs charted at #1 in the US for 27 consecutive weeks, including hits such as "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever". The album of the same name became the group's best-selling disc and entered the top five most successful soundtrack records worldwide.

"Saturday Night Fever" won 5 Grammy Awards in 2 years: Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, 2 awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Vocal Group and Best Vocal Arrangement of Two or More Voices.

On the wave of popularity, the Bee Gees released the album “Spirits Having Flown” and another collection of hits. In terms of the number of singles on the first lines of the charts, the group was equal to The Beatles. The song "Too Much Heaven" brought the band $11 million, which the musicians donated to UNICEF.

In the summer of 1979, Bee Gees fever swept the world. The musicians conducted the largest concert tour in the USA and Canada and released a video clip for the song "Too Much Heaven".

By the end of 1979, the popularity of the disco style began to plummet, and the group was forced to begin a new creative search. In 1980, the musicians released the album “Guilty” together with the American actress and singer, then recorded the disc “Living Eyes”, which became the first album performed publicly on the BBC show “Tomorrow's World”. This did not return the Bee Gees to the peak of popularity, and musicians took up solo careers.

The revival of the group occurred in 1987 with the release of the album “E. S.P.”, which sold more than 3 million copies. The single "You Win Again" became No. 1 in the charts of many countries around the world, including the UK.

Barry, Maurice and Robin hoped that their brother Andy would join the team, but this became impossible due to the death of the youngest member of the Gibb family. The Bee Gees teamed up with a British rock musician and organized The Bunburys project for charitable purposes, and then recorded the album “One”, dedicated to the memory of their brother.

The Bee Gees devoted the 1990s to releasing collections of singles; in addition, the group’s discography was supplemented by the albums “High Civilization”, “Size Isn’t Everything”, “Still Waters” and “This Is Where I Came In”. The musicians began to have problems with health: Barry Gibb's severe arthritis worsened, and Maurice Gibb sought help for treatment for alcoholism.

In 1997, the group received the BRIT Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In the fall of the same year, the Bee Gees performed in Las Vegas, the recording of which sold 5 million copies. After the show, which could have been a farewell, the musicians went on a world tour with the “One Night Only” program.

In 2001, the group released the album This Is Where I Came In, which became the Bee Gees' last studio work. The album reached the top 10 in the UK and the top 20 in the US.

Decay

On January 12, 2003, Maurice Gibb died of a heart attack. The remaining members wanted to continue the group's activities, but eventually abandoned this idea and announced the breakup of the Bee Gees.

In 2006, Barry and Robin reunited to perform in Miami at a benefit concert. They planned to continue working together, but this did not happen. In 2011, Robin Gibb was diagnosed with liver cancer; photos from recent years show that he lost a lot of weight and was forced to give up his music career.

On May 20, 2012, he died in hospital in Chelsea. From that moment on, the Bee Gees finally ceased to exist.

Discography

• 1967 – Bee Gees 1st
• 1969 – “Odessa”
• 1975 – “Main Course”
• 1976 – “Children of the World”
• 1977 – “Saturday Night Fever”
• 1987 – “E.S.P.”
• 1989 – “One”
• 1991 – “High Civilization”
• 1998 – “One Night Only”
• 2001 – “This Is Where I Came In”

The Bee Gees in 1967 ">

The Bee Gees. 1967

The Bee Gees are an Australian pop rock band formed in 1958 in Brisbane. Original line-up: Robin Gibb (b. December 22, 1949, Manchester, England) (vocals), Barry Gibb (b. September 1, 1946, ibid.) (vocals, guitar), Maurice Gibb Gibb) (December 22, 1946, Manchester - January 12, 2003, Miami, Florida, USA) (vocals, guitar).

The core of the group was the three Gibb brothers: the eldest Barry and the younger twins Robin and Maurice. At first the family lived in England. The boys grew up in a musical environment (father Hugues led his own orchestra, mother Barbara sang). When the older brother was 9 and the younger brother was 7 years old, they made their debut in a young talent competition in Manchester under the name RATTLESNAKES. In 1958, the Gibb family emigrated to Australia, to Brisbane, where the singing trio began to gain popularity among listeners.

In 1962, the brothers sang at the Sydney Stadium, warming up the crowd for a performance by the "king of the twist" Chubby Checker, appearing for the first time under the name BEE GEES. Then they start writing their own songs.

In January 1963, the trio released their debut “forty-five” with the characteristic name Three Kisses of Love("Three Kisses of Love"). It was followed by new singles that hit the Australian charts: Claustrophobia, Peace of Mind, Wine and Women. In the middle of the decade, the trio was unanimously voted Australia's best pop group.

The Bee Gees were founded by the Gibb brothers.

In February 1967 the group returned to London. Here the brothers included drummer Colin Peterson (b. March 24, 1946, Kinearoy, Queensland, Australia) in the group, and then invited Australian guitarist Vince Melouney (b. August 18, 1949, Sydney, Australia). In the summer of the same year, their first album “ The Bee Gees" First" Before the end of the decade, the group released several singles that sold millions of copies: To Love Somebody, I Can" t See Nobody, Massachusetts, First of May and megahit Words. The group’s triumph on the English music market was summed up by the album “ Best of Bee Gees"(1970).

However, as the fame of the BEE GEES grew, disagreements emerged between the group members: the twins expressed disagreement with the musical tastes of their older brother. Finally Robin left the group to work alone. The trio continued to exist until Peterson left the group.

The Gibb brothers' quarrel did not last long. Already in 1971 the trio reunited and released a single Lonely Days, two new albums and resumed concert activity. The following year things went even better, and the trio released the final collection " Best of the Bee Gees: Volume 2 ».

The Bee Gees group.

Single Down the Road, marked by energetic rhythm and blues intonations, stood out from the general musical style and helped BEE GEES consolidate its popularity. The next album " Main Course"(1975) marked a turn from lyrical rock to disco, which was becoming fashionable. The musicians consolidated a promising trend in their next successful album “ Children Of The World"(1976). But their main success was ahead.

The band's manager, Robert Stigwood, was also producing the film Saturday Night Fever, which was to star John Travolta. Stigwood sent the Gibb brothers a rush order to compose four new dance songs for the film; they wrote five songs and then added two more to them. Single How Deep Is Your Love was released on the eve of the film's release and immediately rocketed to the top of the charts. Singles followed Stayin" Alive And Night Fever, which became bestsellers in the spring of 1978. The film itself (largely thanks to the music of BEE GEES) had the effect of a bomb exploding, marking the advent of a new style of life - the “disco rhythm” style. The album of the same name with recordings of songs written by the Gibb brothers for the film was also a tremendous success: 12 million copies were sold, and the album itself was recognized as “album of the year.” Thanks to him, BEE GEES became Grammy Award winners in five categories at once.

The Gibb brothers trio were at the origins of disco music.

Discography:

Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs (Leedon/Calendar, 1965)

Monday's Rain (Calendar, 1966)

Bee Gees 1st (Rebound, 1967)

Horizontal (Atco, 1968)

Idea (Polydor, 1968)

Odessa (Atco, 1969)

Cucumber Castle (Atco, 1970)

Sound of Love (Karusell, 1970)

Marley Purt Drive (Polydor, 1970)

2 Years On (Polydor, 1971)

Melody (1971)

Trafalgar (Mobile, 1971)

To Whom It May Concern (Atco, 1972)

Life in a Tin Can (Polydor, 1973)

Mr. Natural (Polydor, 1974)

Main Course (Polydor, 1975)

Children of the World (RSO, 1976)

Here at Last...Bee Gees...Live (RSO, 1977)

Saturday Night Fever (RSO, 1977)

Spirits Having Flown (Nautilus, 1979)

S W A L K (Polydor, 197?)

Living Eyes (Polydor, 1981)

Staying Alive (RSO, 1983)

E.S.P. (Warner, 1987)

One (Warner, 1989)

High Civilization (Warner, 1991)

Size Isn't Everything (Polydor, 1993)

Still Waters (Polydor, 1997)

One Night Only (Polygram, 1998)

This Is Where I Came In (Uptown/Universal, 2001)

Live One Night Only (Japanese, 2002)

Harmonies Down Under (Poptones, 2002)

In the Beginning (2003)

Anyone who doesn’t know them lived after the 90s

Barry Gibb (b. 1 September 1946, Manchester, England), and his younger twin brothers Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb (b. 22 December 1949) were three of the five children of Hugh Gibb, a bandleader, and Barbara Gibb, a former singer. . All three had a passion for music since childhood, and their first performances took place in local cinemas in Manchester in 1955 under various banners such as "Blue cats" and "Rattlesnakes". In 1958, the Gibb family moved to Australia. The Brothers Gibb trio continued their performances. By that time, Barii was already composing songs himself. The brothers became regulars on a local TV show and by that time called themselves the Bee Gees. In 1962, they signed their first contract with the Festival label and made their debut on it with the single “Three kisses of love.” In 1965, their first long play, The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs, was released in Australia.

In 1967, the brothers returned to England, where they were noticed by Robert Stigwood, Brian Epstein's partner. The Bee Gees signed a five-year contract, and the band added guitarist Vince Meloni and drummer Colin Peterson. Their first release in England, "New York Mining Disaster 1941", released in mid-1967, reached the top twenty on both sides of the Atlantic (the catchy melody and surreal lyrics did their job). IN

"Holiday" and "To love somebody" were made in the same vein. The Bee Gees' recordings had great melodies and romantic but complex lyrics that put the listener in a strange mood.

The single "Massachusetts" became the leader of the English charts, opening the way to the glory of the Bee Gees. The band's albums from that period clearly showed the influence of the Beatles. The group was especially successful with the discs “Horizontal” and “Idea”, filled with beautiful and unusual melodies that perfectly combined the sound of electric instruments and an orchestra. While recording the album "Odessa", full of organ music and magnificent choirs, a dispute broke out between the brothers about which track to release as a single. As a result, Robin decided to leave Barry and Maurice, who retained the Bee Gees name. Robin released a solo album, and the group continued to work without him. Ultimately, even Barry and Maurice went their separate ways, with Meloni and Peterson also leaving the team. As a result, the team’s activities were suspended for a year and a half.

In 1970, the brothers finally decided to revive the Bee Gees, which resulted in the album “Lonely days,” which became No. 1 in the United States. However, the next disc, "Trafalgar", was much less successful, and the album "To Whom It May Concern" was a complete failure. Then the problems with the recorders began

companies and the Bee Gees switched to Stigwood's RSO label.

The situation was saved by Eric Clapton, who invited the Bee Gees to record in the studio where he had just finished his work. The result was the album "Mr. Natural", which had a rhythm and blues sound and received good reviews in the press. With the disc "Main Course" a new era of the Bee Gees began. The influence of McCartney's romantic ballads disappeared, and instead dance rhythms and a certain funk appeared in their music. During this period, the group's first live album, "Bee Gees live", was released, combining their old and new hits. In 1977, the brothers switched to disco with the release of the soundtrack to the film "Saturday Night Fever". The album was a major success, as was the follow-up "Spirits Have Flown". However, the disco era began to decline and in the mid-80s little was heard about the Bee Gees. They mainly wrote songs for other artists.

In 1987, the brothers decided to return to their main work and released the disc "E.S.P", which was favorably received by the public. The 1989 album “One” also enjoyed good success, but subsequent releases were much weaker. However, in 1997, the Bee Gees were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1998, the second live album in their history, “Live - One Night Only”, was released.

The Bee Gees' career lasted more than four decades, and the ensemble reached the peak of commercial success twice: the first time - in the late 60s with its ballad-oriented pop rock, and the second time - at the height of the disco era, when the musicians refocused on this fashionable style. The core of the team was almost always made up of three of the five Gibb brothers, Barry (b. September 1, 1946) and twins Robin and Maurice (b. December 22, 1949). All of them were born in England, and began singing in the mid-50s, filling the pauses between films in one of the Manchester cinemas. In 1958, the Gibb family emigrated to Australia, and there Barry, Robin and Maurice began working professionally, performing under various guises such as “The Rattlesnakes” and “Wee Johnny Hayes & The Bluecats”. By the end of the decade, radio DJ Bill Gates and promoter Bill Goode became interested in the guys’ work, who undertook to supervise the ensemble and renamed it “B.G.s” (in honor of the three BGs - Barry Gibb, Bill Gates, Bill Goode). Later the name was transformed into “Bee Gees”, and its decoding began to mean “Brothers Gibb”. Although the Australian press and television paid increased attention to the brothers, the records of the family ensemble were in very moderate demand.

Having released a number of singles and a couple of albums, the Gibbs realized that they had nothing more to do in the country of kangaroos and decided to move back to England in search of happiness. By the way, they finally managed to create a real Australian hit - “Spicks And Specks”, and this song, performed in the manner of the Beatles, helped them reach impresario Robert Stigwood. At his instigation, the group received a five-year contract from Polydor, and in the meantime, the official composition of the Bee Gees was supplemented by guitarist Vince Meloni and drummer Colin Petersen. The team made its first bid for serious success with the single "New York Mining Disaster 1941", released in April 1967. This minor-key psychedelic-surreal thing entered the Top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic, and was followed by such hits as "To Love Somebody", "Holiday" and the Brit chart-topping EP "Massachusetts".

The first three European full-lengths (“1st”, “Horizontal”, “Idea”) also made it into the top twenty, but disagreements arose among the musicians during the recording of the next album. The first to leave was Meloni, who was drawn to the blues, then Robin, who shared lead vocals with Barry, retreated, but was angry that Stigwood was pushing his brother into the frontmanship, and finally, Petersen was the third to be expelled. Be that as it may, the “Odessa” session was completed, and the listeners received a magnificent art-rock album with rich orchestrations. While Robin was satisfying his ambitions by recording a solo album, Barry and Maurice, under the Bee Gees brand, concocted the vinyl pancake "Cucumber Castle". And although the song “Don”t Forget To Remember" reached the second line of the English charts, the long play itself was a very modest success. Maurice and Barry immediately ran away, but at the end of 1970 all three brothers reunited and began preparing the disc "2 "Years On".

Playing progressively flavored pop-rock in the spirit of the "Moody Blues", the ensemble regained its lost popularity. Thus, the composition “Lonely Days” took third place in the overseas charts, and the song “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” generally topped Billboard. But if the Bee Gees were doing well in America, they no longer got high places in their native England. And although “To Whom It May Concern,” which was diverse in style, was still in good demand in the United States, “Life In A Tin Can,” released without Stigwood’s participation, felt creative stagnation, and the sales curve crept down. Taking advantage of Eric Clapton's offer to work in one of the Miami studios, the brothers recorded the disc "Mr. Natural", which, although based on Americanized R&B and soul, had a new sound that was developed on subsequent albums.

And if here Barry’s trademark falsetto had just begun to emerge, then already on “Main Course” it shone in all its glory. Performed in disco rhythms, this record was an incredible success and the Gibb family continued to work in their chosen direction. The second half of the 70s became a real era of renaissance for the Bee Gees, and their hits poured in like a cornucopia. During this period, such chart toppers as “Jive Talkin””, “You Should Be Dancing”, “Too Much Heaven”, “Tragedy”, “Love You Inside Out” appeared, and the apotheosis of it all was the group’s participation in the soundtrack to the cult disco film "Saturday Night Fever", which featured her action hits "How Deep Is Your Love?", "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever". However, the decade ended rather pitifully: the public, tormented by the dominance of the Bee Gees, began to organize anti-Gibb protests, and the musicians themselves pushed themselves into a new crisis by starring in the disastrous film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "Living Eyes", the team disappeared from view for several years and only in 1987 reminded of its existence with the "E.S.P." program.

It must be said that with this work the ensemble regained the favor of European fans, but in the USA the record was hanging out at the end of the first hundred. A similar picture was observed with the release of the albums "One", "High Civilization", "Size Isn"t Everything", but in 1997 the brothers managed to grab luck by the tail once again. The disc "Still Waters" was in the top twenty on both sides of the ocean , and in the same year the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.But while this album still bore the imprint of the disco era, then on This Is Where I Came In the trio returned to early (albeit modernized) pop. Unfortunately, this studio album was the last for Maurice, who died of a heart attack on January 12, 2003. Left alone, Robin and Barry initially wanted to continue the activities of the Bee Gees, but then decided that without their brother it would be wrong.

Barry Gibb was born on September 1, 1946 in Manchester, England. Robin and Maurice are twins, born on December 22, 1949. In 1961, the Gibb family moved from Manchester to work in Australia. In 1966 the Gibbs returned... Read all

The Bee Gees are a British rock band. Consisted of three brothers: lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Barry Gibb, second lead vocalist Robin Gibb and keyboardist and bass guitarist Maurice Gibb.

Barry Gibb was born on September 1, 1946 in Manchester, England. Robin and Maurice are twins, born on December 22, 1949. In 1961, the Gibb family moved from Manchester to work in Australia. In 1966, the Gibbs returned to England, where they began a successful career in rock music. In particular, the group's first album (1967), designed by Klaus Wurmann, glorified the brothers as rising stars of psychedelic pop and remarkable melodists, remembered for such hits as Turn Of The Century, Holiday, Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You, New York Mining Desaster 1941, To Love Somebody and I Close My Eyes.

However, by the beginning of the 70s. The Bee Gees' ballad-filled records ceased to be successful. In an attempt to regain popularity, the brothers began experimenting with elements of funk and jazz rock.

The second phase of the Bee Gees' history began when the musicians unexpectedly turned to disco music. In 1977, the soundtrack to the film "Saturday Night Fever" was released. The Bee Gees became one of the main suppliers of hits for discotheques in the second half of the 1970s (the hit Tragedy, etc.). However, by the mid-80s. The group's music, like disco itself, began to lose popularity.

The Bee Gees regained the attention of critics and music lovers at the turn of the century with the release of several traditional rock albums. In particular, the title theme of the disc This Is Where I Came In (2001) had some success.

In 2003, the group ceased to exist due to the death of Maurice Gibb.

Discography

* Bee Gees 1st (1967)
*Horizontal (1968)
*Idea (1968)
* Odessa (1969)
* Best of Bee Gees (1969)
* Cucumber Castle (1970)
* 2 Years On (1970)
* Trafalgar (1971)
* To Whom It May Concern (1972)
* Life In a Tin Can (1973)
* A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In The Pants (1973)
* Best of Bee Gees Volume 2 (1973)
*Mr. Natural (1974)
* Main Course (1975)
* Children of the World (1976)
* Saturday Night Fever (1977)
* Spirits Having Flown (1979)
* Bee Gees Greatest (1979)
*Living Eyes (1981)
* Staying Alive (soundtrack) (1983)
* E.S.P. (1987)
* One (1989)
* Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990)
* High Civilization (1991)
* Size Isn't Everything (1993)
*Still Waters (1997)
* One Night Only (1998)
* This Is Where I Came In (2001)
* Their Greatest Hits: The Record (2001)
*Number Ones (2004)
* Bee Gees Love Songs (2005)