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The Bee Gees were a singing trio of brothers —
Barry, Robin, and
Maurice Gibb —
that became one of the most successful musical acts of the
20th century.
They were born on the Isle of Man to
English parents,
lived in Manchester,
England and moved to
Brisbane,
Australia during their childhood years, where they began
their musical careers. Their worldwide success came when they
returned to England and signed with producer Robert
Stigwood.
The multiple Grammy
Award-winning group was successful for most of its forty years
of recording music, but it had two distinct periods of exceptional
success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early
1970s, and as the foremost stars of the disco music era in
the late 1970s.
No matter the style, the Bee Gees sang tight three-part
harmonies that were instantly recognizable; as brothers, their
voices blended perfectly, in the same way that The Beach Boys'
did. Barry sang lead on many songs, and an R&B falsetto introduced in
the disco years; Robin provided the clear vibrato lead
that was a hallmark of their pre-disco music; Maurice sang high
and low harmonies throughout their career. The three brothers
co-wrote most of their hits, and they said that they felt like
they became 'one person' when they were writing. The group's
name was retired after Maurice died in January 2003.
The Bee Gees were inducted into The Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame in 1997; fittingly, the
presenter of the award to "Britain's first family of
harmony"[1]
was Brian Wilson,
leader of the Beach Boys, America's
first family of rock harmony.
It has been estimated that the Bee Gees' record sales total more
than 220 million, easily making them one of the best-selling
music artists of all-time. Their 1997 Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame citation says "Only Elvis
Presley, The Beatles,
Michael Jackson,
Garth Brooks and
Paul McCartney
have outsold the Bee Gees".[2]
[
edit] History
[
edit] Early years
The Gibb brothers were born in Douglas
on the Isle of Man; Barry
Alan Crompton Gibb on 1 September
1946, and fraternal
twins Robin Hugh Gibb and Maurice Ernest Gibb on 22
December 1949.
The family returned to father Hugh Gibb's home town of
Chorlton cum
Hardy, Manchester,
England, in the early
1950s where the boys began to sing in harmony, debuting in
public on one occasion at the local Gaumont cinema. The boys
were going to lip sync to a record, which other children had
done at the cinema in previous weeks. However, as they were
running to get there, Maurice dropped the record on the street,
causing it to break. As a result, the brothers got on stage and
sang themselves. They got a very good response from the crowd,
which convinced them that singing was what they wanted to do
with their lives.
In 1958, the Gibb family, including infant brother Andy
(born 5 March 1958 in Manchester,
England), emigrated
to Redcliffe
in Queensland,
Australia. The
still very young brothers began performing where they could to
raise pocket change. First called the Rattlesnakes, later Wee
Johnny Hayes & the Bluecats, they were introduced to radio
DJ Bill Gates by racetrack promoter Bill Goode (who saw them
perform at Brisbane's Speedway Circuit). Gates renamed them the
"Bee Gees" after his and Goode's initials – thus the name was
not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb", despite popular
belief.[3][4]
By 1960, the Bee Gees were featured on television shows, and in
the next few years began working regularly at resorts on the
Queensland coast. Barry drew the attention of Australian star
Col Joye for his
songwriting, and Joye helped the boys get a record deal with
Festival
Records in 1963 under the name "Bee Gees." The three released
two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs
to other Australian artists.
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 late
1966, the family decided to return to England, and seek their
musical fortunes there. They were not confident, however, of
success in England as Barry told a friend, Colin Stead, later of
Lloyds World, that they would be back next year.[citation
needed] While at sea in January, 1967,
they heard that "Spicks
and Specks", a song they had recorded in 1966, had gone
to #1 in Australia.
[
edit] Late 60s - First
International Fame
Before their departure from Australia to their native England,
Hugh Gibb sent demos to Brian Epstein who
managed The Beatles and was
director of NEMS, a British music store and promoter. Brian Epstein
had given the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood
who recently joined NEMS. After an audition with Stigwood in
February 1967, The Bee Gees were signed to a five-year contract
where Polydor Records would be
the Bee Gees' record label in the UK and ATCO Records would be the
U.S. distributor. Work quickly began on their first international
LP and Robert Stigwood launched a huge promotion to coincide with
their first album.
Stigwood proclaimed that The Bee Gees were "The Most Significant
New Talent Of 1967" and thus began the immediate comparison to The
Beatles. Their first British single, New
York Mining Disaster 1941, was issued to radio station DJs with
a blank white label with only the song title. Many DJs immediately
assumed this was a new Beatles single and started playing the song
in heavy rotation. This helped the song climb into the Top 20 in
both the UK and the U.S. Only later did they realize that it was
not The Beatles but in fact The Bee Gees, when their second single
was released, To Love
Somebody and again climbed into the Top 20 in the U.S.
Originally written for Otis Redding, "To Love Somebody" was a
soulful ballad sung by Barry, which has now become a pop standard
covered by hundreds of artists such as Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin,
The Animals, Nina Simone, and Michael Bolton just to name a few.
Another single, Holiday
was released in the U.S. and peaked at #16. The parent album, the
erroneously titled "Bee Gees 1st" peaked at #7 in the U.S. and #8
in the UK.
Following the success of "Bee Gees 1st", the band, (which now
consisted of Barry on rhythm guitar, Maurice on bass, Vince Melouney on
lead guitar and Colin Petersen on
drums) began work on their second album. Released in late 1967,
Horizontal
repeated the success of their first album, which contained the #1
UK (#11 U.S.) single
Massachusetts and the #7 UK single World.
The sound of the album "Horizontal" had a more rock sound than
their previous release, though ballads like "And The Sun Will
Shine" and "Really And Sincerely" are standouts. "Horizontal" made
the Top 20 on both sides of the Atlantic, peaking at #12 in the
U.S. and #16 in the UK. To promote the album, The Bee Gees made
their first appearances in America playing live concerts and
television shows such as The Ed Sullivan
Show and Laugh In.
Two more singles followed in early 1968, the ballad Words
(#15 U.S., #8 UK) and the double A-sided single Jumbo
b/w The Singer
Sang His Song. "Jumbo" was the Bee Gees least successful single
to date only reaching #57 in the U.S., but managing to climb to #25
in the UK. The Bee Gees felt that "The Singer Sang His Song" was
the stronger of the two and in fact reached #3 in The Netherlands.
The year 1968 saw The Bee Gees reach the American Top Ten with the
singles I've
Gotta Get a Message to You (#8 U.S., #1 UK) and I Started A
Joke (#6 U.S.) which were culled from the band's third album
Idea, which
was another Top 20 album in the U.S. (#17) and the UK (#4).
Following the tour and TV special to promote "Idea", Vince Melouney
left the group feeling that he wanted to play more of a blues style
music than the Gibbs were writing. Melouney did achieve one feat
while with the Bee Gees, as his composition "Such A Shame" (from
Idea) is the only song, on any Bee Gees album, not written
by a Gibb brother.
By 1969, the cracks began to show within the group as Robin
began to feel that Stigwood had been favoring Barry as the leader
of the group. They began to record their next album, which was to
be a concept album called "Masterpeace", which evolved into the
double-album Odessa.
Most rock critics feel this is the best Bee Gees album of the 60's,
with it's progressive rock feel on the title track and along side
other genres on music as heard on "Marley Purt Drive" and "Give
Your Best", both country-flavored tunes, and signature ballads such
as "Melody Fair" and First Of May,
which became the only single from the album. Robin, feeling that
the flipside, "Lamplight" should have been the A-Side, quit the
group in mid-1969 and launching a solo career which saw brief
success in Europe with the #2 hit "Saved By The Bell" and the album
Robin's Reign. Barry & Maurice continued as The Bee
Gees, even recruiting their sister Leslie to appear with them on
stage.
The first of many Bee Gees compilations, Best of Bee
Gees was released featuring the non-LP singles Words
and the new single Tomorrow,
Tomorrow which was a moderate hit in the UK reaching #23, but
stalling at #54 in the U.S. The album itself sold very well and
reached the Top Ten in both the U.S. and the UK.
While Robin was off on his own, Barry, Maurice & Colin
continued on as The Bee Gees recording their next album,
Cucumber
Castle. There was also a TV special filmed to accompany the
album, which was aired on the BBC in 1971. Colin Petersen played
drums on the tracks recorded for the album, but was fired from the
group after filming began and his parts were edited out of the
final cut of the film. The leadoff single, Don't
Forget to Remember was a big hit in the UK reaching #2, but was
a disappointment in the U.S. only reaching #73. The next 2 singles,
(I.O.I.O) and (If I Only Had My Mind On Something Else) barely
scraped the charts and following the release of the album, Barry
and Maurice parted ways and it seemed that The Bee Gees were
finished. Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official
release, though a single, "I'll Kiss Your Memory" was released
without much interest. Maurice also recorded during this time,
released the single "Railroad" and starred in West End
musical "Sing A Rude Song".
[
edit] Early 1970s
The three brothers reunited in the later part of 1970, with many songs
about heartache and loneliness. Although they had lost traction on
the British charts, the Bee Gees hit #3 in America with
"Lonely Days"
(from the reunion LP 2 Years On)
and had their first U.S. #1 with "How
Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" (from Trafalgar).
The trio's talents were included in the soundtrack for the 1971
film Melody
as they performed several songs for the title. In 1972, they hit
#16 with "Run to Me" from the LP
To Whom It May Concern; the single also returned them to
the British top ten for the first time in three years.
By 1973, however, the Bee Gees were in a rut. The album,
Life in a Tin
Can, and its lead-off single, "Saw a New Morning," sold
poorly with the single peaking at #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, though it did not
repeat the success of Volume 1.
On the advice of Ahmet Ertegün
of their U.S. label Atlantic
Records, Stigwood arranged for the group to record with famed
soul music producer Arif Mardin. The
resulting LP, Mr.
Natural, included few ballads and foreshadowed the R&B
direction of the rest of their career. But when it too failed to
attract much interest, Mardin encouraged them to work with 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 late 1970s "Bee Gees band". Maurice,
who had previously performed on piano, guitar, organ, mellotron,
and bass guitar, as well as exotica like mandolin and Moog, now
confined himself to bass onstage.
At Eric Clapton's
suggestion, the brothers relocated to Miami, Florida, early in 1975
to record. After starting off with ballads, they eventually heeded
the urging of Mardin and Stigwood and crafted more rhythmic
disco songs like
"Jive Talkin'"
and "Nights on
Broadway." The latter featured Barry Gibb's first attempts
at singing falsetto, in the
backing vocals toward the end. The band liked the resulting new
sound, and this time the public agreed, sending the LP
Main Course,
which became their first R&B
album, up the charts. Barry Gibb's falsetto would become a
staple of subsequent recordings. Mardin was unable to work with
the group afterwards, but the Bee Gees enlisted Albhy Galuten
and
Karl Richardson who had worked with Mardin during the Main
Course sessions. This production team would carry the Bee Gees
through the rest of the 1970s.
The next album, Children of
the World, was drenched in Barry's newfound falsetto and
Blue's synthesizer disco licks. Led off by the single "You Should Be
Dancing," it pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had
not previously achieved in the USA, though their new R&B/disco
sound was not as popular with some die hard fans from the 1960s.
The Bee Gees' band was now closer to a rock act, with rhythm guitar
and real drums behind the falsetto.
[
edit] Late 1970s: Saturday
Night Fever
Following a successful live album, Here at Last… The Bee
Gees… Live, The Bee Gees agreed to participate in the creation
of the
Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It would be the turning
point of their career. The cultural impact of both the film and the
soundtrack was tremendous not only in the United States but also in
the rest of the world, bringing the nascent disco scene into
the mainstream.
Three Bee Gees singles ("How
Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin'
Alive", and "Night Fever")
reached #1 in the United States and most countries around the
world, launching the most popular period of the disco era. They
also penned the song "If I Can't
Have You" which became a #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 as an album track, and another by Tavares,
which was the hit. The Gibb sound was inescapable. During an
eight-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977,
the brothers wrote six songs that held the #1 position on the
U.S. charts for 25 of 32 consecutive weeks—three under their own
name, two for brother Andy Gibb, and the Yvonne Elliman
single.
Fueled by the movie's success, the album broke multiple records,
becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that
point. Saturday Night
Fever has since sold circa 40 million copies worldwide,
making it the best selling soundtrack album of
all time.
During this era, Barry and Robin wrote "Emotion" for
Samantha Sang,
who made it a Top Ten hit (the Bee Gees sang back-up vocals). A
year later, Barry wrote the title song to the movie version of
the Broadway musical Grease
for Frankie Valli
to perform, which went to #1. At one time, five songs written by
the brothers Gibb were in the U.S. top ten at the same time. It
was the first time this kind of chart dominance had been seen
since April 1964, when the Beatles had all five of the top-five
American singles.
In 1978, Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four
straight number one hits in the U.S.A, 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".
In 1976, the Bee Gees recorded three Beatles cover
songs—"Golden
Slumbers/Carry That
Weight", "
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Sun King"
—for the transitory musical documentary All This
and World War II. The three Bee Gees also co-starred with
Peter Frampton in
the movie
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) loosely
inspired by the classic 1967 Beatles album. The film had been
heavily promoted prior to release, and was expected to enjoy great
commercial success. However, the disjointed film was savaged by the
movie critics, and ignored by the public.
"Spirits Having Flown", released in 1979, was the Bee Gees'
best-selling album, selling more than 20 million
copies.
During this period, the Bee Gees' younger brother Andy followed
his older siblings into a music career, and enjoyed considerable
success. Produced by Barry, Andy Gibb's first
three singles all topped the U.S. charts.
The Bee Gees' follow-up to Saturday Night Fever was the
Spirits Having
Flown album. It yielded three more #1 hits: "Too Much
Heaven", "Tragedy", and
"Love You Inside
Out." This gave the act six consecutive #1 singles in America
within a year and a half (a record surpassed only by Whitney
Houston). "Too Much Heaven" ended up as the Bee Gees' musical
contribution to the Music for
UNICEF Concert at the United
Nations General Assembly in January 1979, a benefit organized
by the Bee Gees, Robert Stigwood,
and David
Frost for UNICEF that was
broadcast worldwide. The brothers donated the royalties from the
song to the charity.
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", written by Barry and made the Top 40 on the country
charts. In 1981, Conway Twitty took
"Rest Your Love On Me" to the top of the Country
charts.
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. Radio stations around America began
famously promoting "Bee Gee Free Weekends". Following their
remarkable run from 1975–79, the act would have only one more top
ten single in the U.S. and not until 1989. The Bee Gees'
international popularity sustained somewhat less damage.
[
edit] 1980s and
1990s
In 1981, the Bee Gees released the album Living
Eyes, but with the disco backlash still running strong, the
album failed to make the US top 40. In 1983, the Bee Gees had
greater success with the soundtrack to Staying
Alive, the sequel to Saturday
Night Fever. The soundtrack was certified platinum in the
US, and included their Top 30 hit "Woman In You".
Robin and Barry Gibb released various solo albums in the 1980s
but only with sporadic and moderate chart success. However, the
brothers had continuing success behind the scenes, writing and
producing for artists such as Barbra
Streisand, Dionne Warwick,
Diana Ross and
Kenny Rogers,
including Rogers' multi-million seller and U.S. #1 hit with
Dolly Parton,
"Islands in the
Stream".
The Bee Gees released the album E.S.P.
in 1987, which sold over 3 million copies. The single "You Win
Again" went to #1 in numerous countries, including Britain, but was
a disappointment in the US, charting at #75.
In 1983, the band was sued by Chicago songwriter
Ronald Selle, who claimed that the Gibb 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.
On March 10, 1988, younger
brother Andy died at the age
30 as a result of myocarditis, an
inflammation of the heart muscle due to a recent viral infection.
His brothers acknowledge that Andy's past drug and alcohol use
probably made his heart more susceptible to the ailment. Just
before Andy's death, it was decided by the group that Andy would
join them, which would have made the group a four piece. The Bee
Gees' following album, One
(1989), featured a song dedicated to Andy, "Wish You Were Here".
The album also contained their first U.S. top ten hit (#7) in a
decade, "One". After the album's release, they embarked on their
first world tour in ten years.
Following their next album, High
Civilization, 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 the early 1990s, Barry Gibb was not the
only Bee Gee living with pain. Maurice had a serious drinking
problem, which he had battled for many years, but finally
conquered with the help of Alcoholics
Anonymous.
In 1993, they released the album Size Isn't
Everything, which contained the UK top five hit "For Whom
the Bell Tolls". Four years later, they released the album
Still Waters,
which sold over four million copies, and debuted at #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.
[
edit] One Night
Only
In late 1997, the Bee Gees performed a live concert in
Las Vegas
called One
Night Only. The CD of the performance sold over 5
million copies. This led to a world tour of "One Night Only"
concerts. The tour included playing to 56,000 people at London's
Wembley
Stadium on September 5,
1998 and concluded in
the newly-built Olympic
Stadium in Sydney,
Australia in March 1999.
In 1998, the group's score 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.
The Bee Gees closed the decade with what turned out to be their
last full-sized concert, known as BG2K, on December 31,
1999.
[
edit] Maurice's
death
In 2001, they released what turned out to be their final album
of new material as a group, This Is
Where I Came In. The album gave each member a chance to
write in his own way, as well as composing songs together. For
example, Maurice's compositions and leads are the "Man in the
Middle" and "Walking on Air," while Robin contributed "Déjà Vu,"
"Promise the Earth," and "Embrace," and Barry contributed "Loose
Talk Costs Lives," "Technicolour Dreams", and "Voice in the
Wilderness". The other songs are collaborative in writing and
vocals. The Bee Gees' last public live show together was Live by
Request, a special shown on A&E.
Maurice, who had been the musical director of the Bee Gees
during their final years as a group, died suddenly on January
12, 2003, from a strangulated
intestine. 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 name, leaving it to
represent the three brothers together. The same week Maurice died,
Robin's solo album Magnet was
released.
Although there was talk of a memorial concert featuring both
surviving brothers and invited guests, nothing
materialized.[5]
Since then Barry and Robin have continued to work independently and
have both released recordings with other artists, occasionally
coming together to perform at a special event.
[
edit] After the Bee
Gees
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.
Robin continued touring in Europe.
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 the death of brother
Maurice. Barry and Robin also played at the 30th annual
Prince's
Trust Concert in the UK on May 20, 2006.
[
edit] Songwriting
success
The Bee Gees have been incredibly successful, selling in excess
of 180 million records and singles worldwide[6].
"How Deep Is Your Love" is their most popular composition, with
over 400 versions by other artists in existence.
Their songs have been covered by singers of all stripes
including Elvis Presley,
Janis Joplin,
Al
Green, Eric Clapton,
Lulu,
Elton John,
Tom
Jones, and Nina Simone as
well as newer acts like John
Frusciante (who has been known to cover "How Deep Is Your
Love" during Red Hot
Chili Peppers concerts), and Feist singing a
soulful "Love You Inside Out", Billy Corgan and
Robert
Smith covering "To Love Somebody", Ardijah singing "Love
So Right" and "Desire", Steps and
Destiny's
Child.
Songs written by the Gibbs but better known through versions by
other artists include the following titles:
Many hit covers and album tracks of the Bee Gees' songs have
been recorded, and the band's music has also been sampled by dozens
of hip hop artists.
[
edit] Awards and
recognition
[
edit] Inductions
- 1979 Hollywood Walk Of
Fame
- 1994 Songwriters Hall Of
Fame
- 1995 Florida's Artists Hall
Of Fame
- 1997 Rock And Roll Hall Of
Fame
- 1997 ARIA (Australian
Recording Industry Association) Hall Of Fame
- 2001 Vocal Group Hall Of
Fame
- 2004 Dance Music Hall Of
Fame
[
edit] Grammy
Awards
- 1977 Best Pop Vocal
Performance By A Group - "How Deep Is Your Love"
- 1978 Best Pop Vocal
Performance By A Duo Or Group - "Saturday Night Fever"
- 1978 Album Of The Year -
"Saturday Night Fever"
- 1978 Producer Of The Year -
"Saturday Night Fever"
- 1978 Best Arrangement Of
Voices - "Stayin' Alive"
- 1980 Best Pop Performance
By A Duo Or Group With Vocal - "Guilty"
- 2000 Lifetime Achievement
Award
- 2003 Legend Award
- 2004 Hall Of Fame Award -
"Saturday Night Fever"
[
edit] World Music
Awards
[
edit] American Music
Awards
- 1979 Favorite Pop / Rock
Band, Duo Or Group
- 1979 Favorite Soul /
R&B Album - "Saturday Night Fever"
- 1980 Favorite Pop / Rock
Band, Duo Or Group
- 1980 Favorite Pop / Rock
Album - "Spirits Having Flown"
- 1997 Life achievement
Award
[
edit] Brit Music
Awards
- 1997 Outstanding
Contribution To Music
[
edit] BMI (Broadcast Music
Incorporated) Awards
[
edit] Commemorative
stamps
In October 1999 the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of 6 stamps
honoring their native sons' music. The official launch took place
at the London Palladium where the stage show of Saturday
Night Fever was playing. A similar launch was held in New York
shortly after to coincide with the show opening across the
Atlantic. The songs depicted on the stamps are "Massachusetts",
"Words", "I've Gotta Get A Message To You", "Night Fever", "Stayin'
Alive" and "Immortality".
[
edit] Discography
-
[
edit] Studio album chart
performance
[
edit] Limited
edition
Ellan
Vannin was recorded in 1997 as a 1,000 quantity
limited edition single for Isle of Man
charities. The song was featured in the Bee Gees World Tour and on
ITV's "An Evening With…" but to date has not been released
generally. The single was subsequently also available as part of
the 1999 Bee Gees Stamp issue.
Barry Gibb plays rhythm guitar.
Robin Gibb does not play any instruments onstage, but plays
piano, cello, and other instruments privately.
Maurice Gibb played bass guitar, rhythm and lead guitar, piano,
organ, mellotron, and electronic keyboards, synthesizers and drum
tracks. From 1966 to 1972 he played multiple instruments on many
records. During the late 1970s he played mainly bass guitar. From
about 1986 onward he usually played keyboards.
These musicians were considered members of the band:
Here are some other musicians who backed up the Bee Gees
live and in the
studio:
[
edit] Parodies of the Bee
Gees
The Bee Gees were often parodied by British and American comics,
on records and television.
- A TV sketch by Kenny Everett in
which he played all three Gibbs as well as an interviewer, had the
Bee Gees answering all of his questions with
songquotes.[7]
- The Bee Gees also appeared in a sketch on Big Train,
wherein they were bandits in a shootout with fellow singer
Chaka
Khan.[8]
- They were also parodied by Philip Pope,
Angus Deayton, and
Michael
Fenton Stevens recording as The Hee
Bee Gee Bees, singing "Meaningless Songs (in Very High
Voices)".
- David Walliams
and Matt Lucas in the
Rock Profile
television show in 2000, showed Barry Gibb bossing his two
brothers, using a system of claps and whistles to allow them to
speak.
- In an episode of The Simpsons while
at a yard sale Homer and Disco Stu perform the "Staying Alive"
parody "Table Five".
[9][10]
- In 2003, 2005 and 2006 Jimmy Fallon and
Justin
Timberlake parodied the Bee Gees on Saturday Night
Live in their Barry Gibb Talk
Show sketches.
- The pop punk band
Blink 182 parodied
the Bee Gees in their "First Date"
video.
- In the cartoon show Sheep in the
Big City, there is a skit where there is a person disco dancing
singing, " My voice is so hiiiiigh, and I don't know whyyyyyy," in
a Bee-Gees like pitch.
- An episode of Family Guy had
the lead character Peter Griffin sell
his soul to the devil for Bee Gees tickets.
- Rush Limbaugh
played a parody by Paul Shanklin on
his radio show of John Edwards
singing that he is "More of a Woman" than Hillary
Clinton.[11]
- A Heavy Metal Tribute band to the Bee Gees called Tragedy
formed in 2007 in New York City and is currently performing in the
tri-state area. Tragedy's myspace page: "http://www.myspace.com/letsmaketragedyhappen"
- In the
Fairly Odd Parents Movie, "Fairly Odd Baby", Cosmo told Timmy
that they need to have a talk about the birds and the Bee
Gees.
- A MAD tv parody shows Barry Gibb, portrayed by Michael
McDonald, making a American soundtrack with Randy Newman and other
celebrities like Chaka Khan (Aries Spears) and Destiny's Child
(Debra Wilson).
- In 'The Legend Of Old Gregg' - Episode 5, Series 2 of
The Mighty
Boosh the Bee Gee's, along with Rick Wakeman were said to
have tried to get the funk by singing 'Ooh, give me that funky
milk' in their usual harmonised style.
[
edit] Notes and
references
[
edit] See also
[
edit] External
links
- The
International Brothers Gibb Website
- Words &
Music, Fans Of The Brothers Gibb
- For The Love of
the Bee Gees
- Maurice Gibb
Website
- Andy Gibb
Website
- The Official Bee Gees
website
- Bee Gees Biography
- The Official Barry Gibb
Website
- The Official
Robin Gibb Website
- Debbie, Santiago & Juanjo Bee Gees Site
- 'The Bee Gees' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
- Bee Gees Lyrics
- The Bee Gees at Rollingstone
- Bee Gees, from the All Music Guide
- "The Dionne
Warwick Channel" -YouTube site containing over 100 Dionne Warwick
tunes with rare photos and information on each tune, including
BeeGees written and produced tunes
- The Bee
Gees
- A Tribute to
the Bee Gees