Why I became a fan of the music of the Bee Gees I no longer know. I think it started with the film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta. Before that, I didn’t listen to their music but later I did and came to appreciate it. Unfortunately, I never saw them live together. I just managed to see Robin Gibb perform before his far too early death. Certainly enjoyable and special but not complete. Maurice had already passed away and he was estranged from his brother Barry. So I have to make do with a number of good recorded concerts. One Night Only is a top recording and shows the versatility of these three remarkable men.
On 31 May 2020, the Bee Gees were honorary guests at our Sunday Morning Classics.
The Bee Gees
The Bee Gees were a pop group centred around the twin brothers Robin Gibb (1949-2012, vocals) and Maurice Gibb (1949-2003, bass guitar, keyboard and vocals) and their older brother Barry Gibb (1946, guitar and vocals). The group's name was initially not intended as an abbreviation of "Brothers Gibb". Originally, the brothers played together as 'the Rattlesnakes', later becoming 'Wee Johnny Hayes & the Bluecats' and under that name they were introduced to radio DJ Bill Gates. This happened through Bill Goode, after he saw them perform at the Brisbane Speedway Circuit. Bill Gates came up with the name "Bee Gees" based on his and Goode's initials: BG. As the group began to achieve independent success in the late 1960s, the name became more associated with "Brothers Gibb". The brothers were born on the Isle of Man, but in 1958 they emigrated to Australia. Their career began there, and in 1967 they returned to England, where they formed a group with Vince Melouney, (guitar) and Colin Petersen, (drums). In Australia and the Netherlands they had their first hit around that time with Spicks and Specks, in England and elsewhere followed songs like New York Mining Disaster 1941, Massachusetts, Words, World, I've Gotta Get a Message to You and Holiday.
After the album Odessa (1969) Robin left the group due to artistic differences, and scored a solo hit with Saved by the Bell. Maurice Gibb married the Scottish singer Lulu. The group was later disbanded and reformed. From the moment Jive Talkin' became a surprising American number 1 hit in 1975, they picked up the thread again and with the release of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977 the group suddenly became immensely popular again, becoming one of the main exponents of disco.
The sound of the Bee Gees is distinctive, especially notable is their use of high voices, comparable to falsetto.
At that time, the Bee Gees wrote and produced records for artists including Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross. Robin Gibb released another solo LP in 1983. After 1981, the group went quiet, but in 1987 they made a third comeback with the song You Win Again, a UK number 1 hit. A fourth brother, Andy Gibb, a teen idol in the late 1970s, died in 1988, just as he was about to join the group as the fourth member. On 12 January 2003 Maurice died unexpectedly from a bowel infarction, an interruption of the blood supply to the intestines, a rare condition sometimes occurring with a twisting of the intestines where the bowel (usually partially) gets strangled. Maurice was initially admitted to hospital for this. Robin and Barry then went their separate ways with a renewed collaboration between Barry and Barbra Streisand, Guilty Pleasures in 2005. A collaboration between Robin and Alistair Griffin with the song My Lover's Prayer reached number three in England. Barry and Robin said they would never make music again under the name Bee Gees. Under the name Brothers Gibb, Barry and Robin performed together again for the first time since their brother's death in February 2006. On 7 September 2009 they announced they would tour again as the Bee Gees.
In November 2011 it became known that Robin, then 61, was suffering from liver cancer. He died on 20 May 2012. This marked a definitive end to the Bee Gees.
(source: Wikipedia)
