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Biography
Born
in Douglas, on the Isle of Man, Barry and twins Robin and Maurice Gibb started
their singing very young -when they were nine and six years old- in
Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, where the family had moved in 1955. The three
brothers and two friends of theirs started performing as "The
Rattlesnakes" and "Wee Johnny Hays and The Blue Cats" in
some movie theaters in Chorlton. In 1958 the family moved again, this time to
Australia, where the Gibb brothers went on performing as "Barry and The
Twins" and "The BG's." In 1963 the Gibb brothers signed
their first record deal and released their first single, "The battle of the
blue and grey." In three years the Bee Gees released thirteen singles and
three albums; their first big hit came in 1966, with "Spicks and
specks."
Before
the release of 'Spicks and specks,' the brothers had decided to try their luck
in England, so in 1967 the family returned to the UK, where the three brothers
signed with Robert Stigwood. From 1967 through 1969 the Bee Gees -with two more
members: the Australians Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney- recorded 4
albums and had some huge hits - "New York Mining Disaster 1941",
"To Love Somebody", "Massachusetts",
"Words", "I Started a Joke," "I've Gotta
Get a Message To You". In 1969 Melouney left the band and so did Robin to
pursue a solo career. Soon Petersen followed them, leaving Barry and Maurice as
the only band members until Robin rejoined his brothers one year later.
From 1970
thru 1973 The Bee Gees recorded 4 more albums, and though they had some hits
("Lonely Days", "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart",
"Run To Me"), the record sells slipped. Finally, in 1973 they recorded
A Kick In The Head Is Worth Eight In the Pants, which the record
company didn't release, and the band decided to move to the States.
In
America, with the help of a new producer, Arif Mardin, The Bee Gees evolved to
new musical forms, starting with the superb albums Mr Natural and Main
course, followed by Children of the World, where the song
"You should be dancing" anticipated Saturday Night Fever, the
soundtrack that topped the charts for over 20 weeks and that remains the best
selling soundtrack ever. The Bee Gees tremendous success continued with the 1979
album Spirits having flown.
But soon the Disco era
was over. In 1980, their new album Living eyes showed a very
different style. In spite of being one of their best albums, it didn't make the
charts, and The Bee Gees did not record another album until 1987. In the
meantime they released solo albums and produced other artists. They topped the
charts again, this time as producers and songwriters, with "Guilty",
"Woman in love", "Heartbreaker", "Islands in the
stream" and "Chain reaction" as highlights.
In 1987
came the album E.S.P, with one Bee Gees song "You win again"
topping one more time the European charts. From 1989 to 2001 they released five
more studio albums showing their huge talent for songwriting.
In a career spanning over
forty years, the Bee Gees have sold more than 175 million records
worldwide, and have written dozens of hits for themselves and other acts. Over
1,000 artists have performed their songs, from Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Al
Green or Barbra Streisand to Destiny's Child, Happy Mondays, Celine Dion or
Wyclef Jean.
The Brothers Gibb, the
second most successful band in music history after the Beatles, have had
more than 160 no. 1 charts positions worldwide, themselves or with others acts
singing their songs. They have had no 1. hits in each decade from the 60s to the
90s, and the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, that topped the US album
charts for 24 weeks, remains the world's biggest selling soundtrack ever.
In
the US, the Bee Gees have had 19 no. 1 hits, 9 platimum albums and 11 gold and
platinum singles. They have written and produced six straight no 1 hits and have
had 5 songs in the top ten at the same time. The Bee Gees have earned 16 Grammy
nominations and won 7 Grammy Awards.
In the UK, the Bee Gees
have had no. 1 hits in all decades from the 60s to the 90s, and have won 28 Ivor
Novello awards.
They have been inducted
into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame both
in the United States and in Australia. They have also been honoured with
Lifetime Achievement awards by the American Music Awards, the Brit Awards and
the World Music Awards.
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