Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the
Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. With his younger brothers, fraternal twins
Robin and
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...
, he formed a songwriting partnership beginning in 1955. He has lived in Britain, Australia, and the United States, holding dual UK–US citizenship, the latter since 2009.
Born in
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
on the
Isle of Man
)
, anthem = "O Land of Our Birth"
, image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg
, image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg
, mapsize =
, map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe
, map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green)
in Europe ...
, Gibb was raised in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, where he took part in the
skiffle craze. In 1955, he formed his first band,
the Rattlesnakes, which evolved into the Bee Gees in 1960, after the Gibb family had moved to
Redcliffe, Queensland
Redcliffe is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. It also refers colloquially to the Redcliffe Peninsula as a whole, a peninsula jutting into Moreton Bay which contains several ...
, Australia. They later returned to England, where they achieved worldwide fame, then moved to the United States in 1975. Well-known for his wide vocal range, Gibb's most notable vocal trait is a far-reaching high-pitched
falsetto. As a songwriter, he shares with
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
the record for most consecutive
''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones, each having six. In total, he has written or co-written sixteen ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number ones. ''
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' lists Gibb as the second most successful songwriter in history, behind McCartney.
Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years. In 1994, he was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
with his brothers. In 1997, as a member of the Bee Gees, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received the
Brit Award
The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
for Outstanding Contribution to Music. He is a fellow of the
British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors
The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...
.
In 2007, ''
Q'' magazine ranked him number 38 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers". Gibb was appointed a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the
2002 New Year Honours
New Years' Honours are announced on or around the date of the New Year in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplements to the London Ga ...
for services to music and entertainment, and a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...
in the
2018 New Year Honours
The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...
for services to music and charity. He was also made an
Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia on 27 January 2022, in the
2022 Special Honours
As part of the British honours system, Special Honours are issued at the Monarch's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer to the awards made within royal prerogative, operational honours, political honours and other honours awarded ...
, for eminent service to the performing arts as a musician, songwriter, and record producer, to the advancement of Australian music artists, and to philanthropy.
1946–1954: Early years
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb was born at Jane Crookall Maternity Home in
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civi ...
, Isle of Man, on 1 September 1946, to
Hugh Gibb
Hugh Leslie Gibb (15 January 1916 – 6 March 1992) was an English drummer, bandleader and the father of musicians Barry, Robin, Maurice and Andy Gibb. Barry, Robin and Maurice would go on to form the Bee Gees, one of the most successful music ...
(15 January 1916 – 6 March 1992), a drummer, and Barbara Gibb (17 November 1920 – 12 August 2016) (née Pass).
He has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry. Gibb's grandfather Hugh Gibb Sr. was born in
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland.
Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotl ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
in 1892. He has an older sister, Lesley Evans. His second name, "Alan", was after his father's youngest brother who died in infancy. According to Hugh Gibb, in a mix of fact and fiction, his third name, "Crompton", was given to honour the Gibbs' ancestor Sir Isaac Crompton (actually
Samuel Crompton
Samuel Crompton (3 December 1753 – 26 June 1827) was an English inventor and pioneer of the spinning industry. Building on the work of James Hargreaves and Richard Arkwright he invented the spinning mule, a machine that revolutionised th ...
).
When Gibb was born, his father was busy as a musician working at various hotels in Douglas, while his mother stayed at home looking after the children. Later, the Gibbs moved to Chapel House on Strang Road. When he was almost two years old, he was badly scalded. His mother had just made tea which she had put on the table; he climbed up and pulled the teapot down and got the tea all over him. He was in Nobles Hospital for about two and a half months. Gibb later commented on that incident:
In 1949, the Gibb family relocated to 50, St. Catherine's Drive.
Later that year, on 22 December, Gibb's two younger brothers
Robin and
Maurice Maurice may refer to:
People
* Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
* Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
were born. When the twins were young, the family moved to Smedley Cottage, Spring Valley, also in Douglas.
Gibb started school on 4 September 1951, three days after his fifth birthday, attending Braddan school.
In 1952, the Gibb family relocated to 43 Snaefell Road, Willaston, which became their home for the next two years. The same year, he went to Tynwald Street Infants School. On his seventh birthday in 1953, he went to Desmesne Road Boys School.
1955–2012: The Rattlesnakes to the Bee Gees
1955–1966: Formation, television performances and foundation as a songwriter
In 1955, Gibb formed the
skiffle group the Rattlesnakes, consisting of himself on vocals and guitar, Robin and Maurice on vocals and friends/neighbours Paul Frost and Kenny Horrocks also providing vocals. By 1957, the Rattlesnakes played songs by
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
.
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...
,
Buddy Holly and
the Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...
. Gibb said that their first song played was Paul Anka's "I Love You, Baby", however, in 1968, he remembered it as the Everly Brothers' "
Wake Up Little Susie". The Rattlesnakes' first professional gig took place on 28 December 1957 in the Gaumont Cinema. Around 1958, Gibb's guitar was accidentally broken by Frost, who described the guitar as "broken in the middle".
By May 1958 when the Gibbs moved to Northern Grove it signalled the departure of Frost and Horrocks. The brothers later changed the name of the group to Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats. Under that name, they performed regularly in ''Minor 15'', a talent contest for under-fifteens held on Thursday nights from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at Princess Club in
Chorlton.
At the beginning of August 1958, the Gibb family set sail for Australia as part of an assisted migration scheme from Southampton on the ship ''
Fairsea
USS ''Charger'' (CVE-30) was an escort carrier of the United States Navy during World War II converted from a commercial C3-P&C cargo/passenger liner hull built as ''Rio de la Plata'' intended for the Moore-McCormack company's American Repub ...
''. Also aboard was
Red Symons, future guitarist of
Skyhooks, as well as
Kylie Minogue's parents. The group later made a new group called the Bee Gees. In 1959, the brothers began singing between races at the Redcliffe Speedway to earn money. Their vocal talent brought them to the attention of Bill Gates, a radio deejay. Gates was also interested in Gibb's original material including "Let Me Love You" and "(Underneath the) Starlight of Love". After hearing those songs, Gates asked Gibb for more original material. Gibb quit school in September 1961 and the Gibbs moved to
Surfers Paradise. The brothers spent the summers of 1961 and 1962 performing at hotels and clubs in the
Gold Coast
Gold Coast may refer to:
Places Africa
* Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana:
** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642)
** Dutch G ...
area. By September 1962, Gibb managed to audition songs to
Col Joye
Colin Frederick Jacobsen (born 13 April 1937), better known by his stage name Col Joye, is an Australian pioneer rock singer-songwriter, musician and entrepreneur with a career spanning some sixty years. Joye was the first Australian rock and ...
. The Gibb family moved to
Sydney at the start of 1963.
Around the same time, the Bee Gees were signed to
Festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...
but they were assigned to
Leedon. Their first single, "
The Battle of the Blue and the Grey" was written by Gibb. All of the Bee Gees' singles from 1963 to 1966 were written by Gibb. In July 1963,
Lonnie Lee, one of Australia's top recording stars of the time, recorded what is said to be the first rock and roll recording of a Barry Gibb song. Recorded on
Leedon Records
Leedon Records was an Australian record label active from 1958 to 1969. It was founded by American Australian entrepreneur Lee Gordon in early 1958.
Establishment and early releases
In Australian in the 1950s and early 1960s, locally distrib ...
and named "I'd Like To Leave If I May", radio preferred the flip side. Also between 1963 and 1966, Gibb's songs were recorded by numerous other Australian recording artists including
Trevor Gordon
Trevor Gordon Grunnill (19 May 1948 – 10 January 2013) was a British-Australian singer, songwriter and musician. He was a member of the late-1960s group the Marbles, whose biggest hit was the UK No. 5 "Only One Woman".
Early life
Gordo ...
,
Noeleen Batley,
Anne Shelton,
April Byron,
Ronnie Burns and
Lori Balmer
Lori Balmer (born 1960) is an Australian pop singer, recording artist and worked as a session singer and model; and has appeared on TV in Australia, United States, Japan, Europe and Britain.
Biography
Early recordings
Lori Balmer was born in ...
. One of them is his composition "One Road" which hit No. 2 in Australia New South Wales Chart and No. 32 on the
Kent Music Report charts for
Jimmy Little in 1964. Another of his compositions, "I Just Don't Like to Be Alone" by
Bryan Davies, reached No. 25 on the New South Wales chart in 1964.
In 1966, Gibb won the annual Radio 5KA award for the best composition of the year, "I Was a Lover, A Leader of Men".
1967–1970: Return to UK, commercial break-out and worldwide popularity
The Bee Gees returned to the United Kingdom in early 1967. On 24 February, the group passed a live audition with
Robert Stigwood
Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...
and later signed to Robert Stigwood Organization also the same day that "Spicks and Specks" was released by Polydor as a single in the United Kingdom. Stigwood became the manager of the Bee Gees.
Colin Petersen
Frederick Colin Petersen (born 24 March 1946) is an Australian drummer, record producer and former child actor. He played as a member of the bands Steve and the Board, the Bee Gees and Humpy Bong. In August 1969, he left the Bee Gees and he wa ...
, drummer, and
Vince Melouney
Vincent Melouney (Maloney) (born 18 August 1945) is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter best known as an official member of The Bee Gees from 1967 to 1969 during the group’s initial period of worldwide success.
Prior to joining Be ...
, lead guitarist, later joined the group. The result was their first international LP ''
Bee Gees' 1st
''Bee Gees' 1st'' is the third studio album by English group Bee Gees, and their first international full-length recording after two albums distributed only in Australia and New Zealand. ''Bee Gees' 1st'' was the group's debut album for the UK P ...
''. The second single from the album "
To Love Somebody" – on which Gibb provided the lead vocal – has become a standard, covered by hundreds of artists consistently throughout the years since.
Around the same time, the Gibb brothers contributed backing vocals on the track "
Cowman, Milk Your Cow" a song written by Gibb and Robin sung by singer
Adam Faith
Terence Nelhams Wright (23 June 1940 – 8 March 2003), known as Adam Faith, was an English singer, actor, and financial journalist. A teen idol, he scored consecutive No. 1 hits on the UK Singles Chart with " What Do You Want?" (1959) and "P ...
.
In 1967, Gibb was in
The Speakeasy Club, a nightclub in London where he was introduced by
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
to
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
. Lennon was still wearing his outfit for ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' photo shoot earlier that day on 30 March 1967; after a couple of scotch and cokes, Townshend said to Gibb, "Do you want to meet John?" and he led Gibb across to a room where Lennon was holding court and Townshend said, "John. This is Barry Gibb, from the group the Bee Gees" to which Lennon replied, "Howyadoin'"."So I met John Lennon's back", Gibb says with a laugh, "I didn't meet his front". Gibb earlier said in 2010 about the meeting, "It was virtually a closed club and you went downstairs and there was a coffin and if you were someone they knew and you were supposed to go in, the wall would turn around... and in you would go. There would be
Stones">ollingStones lying around all over the place. It was one of those days when I met John Lennon – from the back. It was Pete Townshend who introduced me...
ennon said 'Pleased to meet you', and he carried on talking to his guest."
After many stresses on their personal and professional lives, both Barry and Robin collapsed from nervous exhaustion on a flight from Australia to Turkey in 1967. On 23 December 1967, Barry and Robin left England for Australia. As Gibb explained: "But due to time difference we arrived on Christmas Day, we missed Christmas Eve altogether!". The pair celebrated Christmas with their manager
Robert Stigwood
Robert Colin Stigwood (16 April 1934 – 4 January 2016) was an Australian-born British-resident music entrepreneur, film producer and impresario, best known for managing Cream (band), Cream, Andy Gibb and the Bee Gees, theatrical productions ...
's family as Gibb said: "We went on to Sydney".
![Barry Gibb 1968](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Barry_Gibb_1968.jpg)
At the end of 1967, fame was taking its toll and the group were at odds with each other. At the start of 1968, the Gibbs were vying for influence in determining the musical direction of the group, creating tension in the studio and on stage. Also in 1968, to promote ''
Horizontal'' the group made their first appearance on U.S. television on ''
The Smothers Brothers Show
''The Smothers Brothers Show'' is
an American fantasy sitcom featuring the Smothers Brothers that aired on CBS on Friday nights at 9:30 p.m. ET from September 17, 1965, to April 22, 1966, co-sponsored by Alberto-Culver's VO5 hairdressing ...
'' as well as ''
The Ed Sullivan Show
''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American television variety show that ran on CBS from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night M ...
''. The group later filmed a TV special ''Frankie Howerd Meets the Bee Gees'' with
Frankie Howerd
Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian.
Early life
Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...
.
His 1968 composition "
Only One Woman
"Only One Woman" is a song and the first single by English musical duo the Marbles, written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees. It later also appeared on their self-titled album ''The Marbles''.
Recording and reception
It wa ...
" (UK No. 5) was
the Marbles' most successful single up to date. The Bee Gees were invited by Hollywood manager
Lee Hazlewood
Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...
at his party alongside the members of
the Monkees
The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...
and
Honey Ltd.
Honey Ltd. were an American 1960s girl group made up of sisters Alexandra and Joan Sliwin, Laura Polkinghorne and Marsha Temmer.
Background
The group members began singing with each other at Wayne State University. They formed the Mama Cats a ...
The photos from that event were leaked, and two of the pictures showing Gibb was talking to actress
Angela Cartwright
Angela Margaret Cartwright (born September 9, 1952) is a British actress primarily known for her roles in movies and television. On television, she played Linda Williams, the stepdaughter of Danny Williams (played by Danny Thomas) in the long ...
, and the other, is Gibb who was shown playing guitar and the members of Honey Ltd. sing along.
In 1969, the Bee Gees released "
First of May" as the A-side, with the flip side being "Lamplight" on which Robin sang the lead. Robert Stigwood chose "First of May" to be the A-side. No other songs were released from the album ''
Odessa''. Shortly after Robin announced his solo plans, the Bee Gees released their first single without him, "
Tomorrow Tomorrow". Barry also worked with
Samantha Sang
Cheryl Lau Sang (born 5 August 1951), known professionally as Samantha Sang, is an Australian singer. She had an earlier career as a teenage singer under the stage name Cheryl Gray, before adopting the stage name she is more widely known as in 1 ...
, co-writing and producing two songs "The Love of a Woman" and the B-side "Don't Let It Happen Again" released on
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
. He also produced songs for
P.P. Arnold
PP, pp or Pp may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Pianissimo'', a music term meaning ''very quiet'', from musical dynamics
* Production code for the 1967–1968 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Enemy of the World''
* Police Procedural - a subgen ...
including "
Bury Me Down By the River" (released as a single) which were originally recorded by the Bee Gees for their 1970 album. In the summer of 1969, Petersen left the group which now only featured Barry and Maurice as the Bee Gees.
Pentangle drummer
Terry Cox
Terence William Harvey 'Terry' Cox (born 13 March 1937, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire) played drums in the British folk rock bands The Pentangle, Duffy's Nucleus and Humblebums.
He also drummed with several other artists, most notably D ...
replaced Petersen to complete another 12 songs, but only five songs were released in the album.
The film ''
Cucumber Castle'', featuring only two Bee Gees after originally including Petersen, aired on BBC2 on 26 December 1970. When the group announced that they had split at the start of December 1969, Gibb spent January 1970 writing songs to record the following month.
1970: Debut as a solo artist
In February 1970, he started to record his first solo album, ''
The Kid's No Good
''The Kid's No Good'' was to have been the debut solo album by British musician Barry Gibb following his departure from the Bee Gees in December 1969. There was no official title given to the album at the time. The line "the kid's no good", whic ...
''; he released his first solo single, "
I'll Kiss Your Memory
"I'll Kiss Your Memory" is the first solo single written, performed and produced by Barry Gibb, released in May 1970. It peaked at number 16 in the Netherlands. The song was intended for Gibb's unreleased debut album ''The Kid's No Good''.
Backgr ...
", but the rest of the songs that were supposed to be on the album were never released and only appeared in bootlegs. "I'll Kiss Your Memory" was not charted in either the U.K. or U.S. but reached No. 16 in Netherlands in five weeks. Another country ballad "This Time" was chosen as the B-side. Bruce Eder of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
stated that the songs on ''The Kid's No Good'' were of
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...
and sentimental numbers.
In April 1970 the album ''
Cucumber Castle'' was released four months after the break-up, featuring only Barry and Maurice, as Robin was working on his solo career.
For the first time as a solo artist, he appeared on the panel of judges and performed "
One Bad Thing" and "The Day Your Eyes Meet Mine" on ''Miss Teen Princess of the World'' pageant in Germany in June, his reaction was "I've not appeared on stage for at least a year and three months, and I really miss people". In July 1970, Gibb travelled to Australia to act as compere for ''Go-Set'', and on that occasion, he gave an interview on the magazine which revealed that sixteen months after the Bee Gees' break-up, but he was still not ready to argue with his brothers, "Obviously, we're still brothers, but we are no longer as a group".
"One Bad Thing", which he considered as the second single from his debut album and Atco pressed some copies of it in August 1970 with "The Day Your Eyes Meet Mine" as the B-side. and was distributed to the radio stations in Canada and elsewhere but was not continued and it was decided to focus on a new Bee Gees release (in favour of the Bee Gees' reunion single "
Lonely Days
"Lonely Days" is a ballad written and performed by the Bee Gees. It appeared on their album ''2 Years On'', and was released as a single, becoming their first Top Five hit in the US, peaking at number three in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reac ...
") and was released around August.
While Polydor planned to release "One Bad Thing" by 2 October. (elsewhere except North America and Canada)
Gibb claimed that not only had he been focusing on writing and recording songs, but he had still hoped to be an actor, "I have already had offers to play different parts but, without appearing swell headed, I haven't found the right part yet".
"One Bad Thing" was later given by Gibb to his friend
Ronnie Burns, a singer from Australia, and later released it as a single on Festival Records.
1970–1974: Bee Gees' reunion, popularity to US and replacement of the arranger
In August 1970, the Bee Gees reunited and recorded together again, writing "Lonely Days" and "
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album '' Trafalgar''. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in ...
" at their first reunion session.
Two of Gibb's singles were omitted after the group had reunited, "One Bad Thing / The Day Your Eyes Meet Mine" was withdrawn at the last minute in the US while Polydor planned to release "One Bad Thing" (2 October 1970).
In 1971, the group released "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" which was their first American No. 1 hit. In October 1971, Gibb recorded three songs for his fan club called ''Barry Gibb Fan Club''; one of the songs, "
King Kathy
"King Kathy" is a song written, performed and produced by Barry Gibb. The song was included on ''Barry Gibb Fan Club''. It was written in 1970 while he wrote other songs for his debut album ''The Kid's No Good''. It was released in 1971 on Lynton ...
" was released as a single on Lyntone Records. Gibb had remained a constant creative force for the group and, by 1972, had set aside the idea of a parallel solo career and was ready to devote full attention to the band. ''
To Whom It May Concern
To Whom It May Concern may refer to:
*Salutation (greeting), used for opening a letter to an unknown recipient
In music
; Albums
* ''To Whom It May Concern'' (Bee Gees album), 1972
* ''To Whom It May Concern'', a Blacklite District album, 2016
...
'' was the last album recorded fully at IBC Studios and their last album arranged by Bill Shepherd who had worked with the group since 1964. Also in 1972, Gibb moved to Los Angeles to record in the
Record Plant studio. In 1973, the Bee Gees moved to Robert Stigwood's
RSO Records
RSO Records was a record label formed by rock and roll and musical theatre impresario Robert Stigwood and record executive Al Coury in 1973. The letters "RSO" stood for the Robert Stigwood Organisation.
RSO managed the careers of several ma ...
and released their first singles for Stigwood, "
Saw a New Morning" and "
Life in a Tin Can". Stigwood was not ready to give up on the group, but he did not believe in the musical direction they were taking. At the suggestion of
Jerry Wexler and
Ahmet Ertegun of
Atlantic Records, Stigwood sent them to work with Atlantic producer and arranger
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...
who produced the next Bee Gees album in 1974. After a United States tour early in 1974, the group started to perform at small clubs in England.
1975–1980: Big success for disco works
At the start of 1975, the group moved to Miami at the suggestion of
Eric Clapton to work on their new album with
R&B producer
Arif Mardin
Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...
in
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...
. The first song featuring Gibb's falsetto was 1975's "
Nights on Broadway
"Nights on Broadway" is a song by the Bee Gees from the ''Main Course'' album released in 1975. The second single released from the album, it immediately followed their number-one hit "Jive Talkin'". This track was credited to Barry, Robin and ...
". In 1976, Gibb wrote "
I Just Want to Be Your Everything
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 as the first single from his debut album ''Flowing Rivers''. It reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the ...
", his brother
Andy Gibb
Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the younger brother of Barry, Robin and Maurice, who went on to form the Bee Gees.
Gibb came to prominence in the late 1970s through th ...
's first US No. 1, and provided backup vocals.
During 1976, Gibb met with Vince Melouney and wrote two songs, "Let It Ride" and "Morning Rain", that were never recorded.
In November 1977, the film ''
Saturday Night Fever'' was released and its soundtrack became the best-selling soundtrack of all time. During 1977, Gibb co-wrote "
Emotion
Emotions are mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is currently no scientific ...
", the song remains Samantha Sang's best-known hit. Gibb and Galuten wrote "
Save Me, Save Me
"Save Me, Save Me" is a song written by Barry Gibb and Albhy Galuten in 1977. It was recorded by the group Network from New York City. The flipside was "Not Love at All". This song is the first track credited to Gibb and Galuten. George Bitzer was ...
" originally recorded by the group Network and later covered by
Frankie Valli,
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...
,
Rare Earth, and
Teri DeSario
Teri is a given name directly from Teresa. Notable people with the name include:
* Teri Ann Linn (born 1961), American actress and singer
* Teri Anulewicz, American politician
* Teri Austin (born 1957), Canadian actress
* Teri Byrne (born 1972), ...
. The film ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'', featuring Gibb as Mark Henderson was shown in July 1978. Andy's third single, "
Shadow Dancing", which was credited to all four Gibb brothers, was also a US No. 1 single. In 1978, Gibb wrote a
title song
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
to order for their manager Robert Stigwood's film and stage musical ''
Grease'' and was later recorded by singer
Frankie Valli and reached No. 1 in the US. The song contains guitar work by
Peter Frampton. In February 1978, he provided background vocals for his composition "
Ain't Nothing Gonna Keep Me From You" which featured
Teri DeSario
Teri is a given name directly from Teresa. Notable people with the name include:
* Teri Ann Linn (born 1961), American actress and singer
* Teri Anulewicz, American politician
* Teri Austin (born 1957), Canadian actress
* Teri Byrne (born 1972), ...
on vocals.
After the Bee Gees' successful
1979 Spirits Having Flown Tour to promote the
album of the same name, he wrote, produced, and sang on almost all of the songs on Andy Gibb's final album, ''
After Dark'', released at the start of 1980.
1980–1983: Production for artists
In September 1980, Gibb produced the three new songs on Andy Gibb's first compilation album, ''
Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits''. In October 1980,
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
's ''
Guilty
Guilty or The Guilty may refer to:
* Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard
Law
*Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction
*Guilt (law) ...
'' was released, produced by the
Gibb-Galuten-Richardson
Gibb-Galuten-Richardson were a British-American record producing team, consisting of Bee Gees founding member and British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, American musician and songwriter Albhy Galuten and American sound engineer Karl Richardson. T ...
team. the lead off single, Woman In Love was released in August and within 5 weeks was #1 on the US charts. The two songs of which were vocal duets between Streisand and Gibb are "
Guilty
Guilty or The Guilty may refer to:
* Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard
Law
*Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction
*Guilt (law) ...
" a U.S. Top 5, and "
What Kind of Fool
"What Kind of Fool" is a vocal duet from 1981 (see 1981 in music) by singers Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb. The song was written by Gibb and Albhy Galuten.
Background
The songs on the ''Guilty'' album were a collaboration between Streisand a ...
" also reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and reached No. 1 on the
US Adult contemporary chart. In 1981, the Bee Gees released ''
Living Eyes''. Songs from the album were not
disco and the album was not a commercial success. In 1982,
Clive Davis asked Gibb to write for
Dionne Warwick, who was on his
Arista label. Barry produced Warwick's ''
Heartbreaker''. The songs were all written by Gibb except "
Our Day Will Come
"Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Mort Garson with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was recorded by American R&B group Ruby & the Romantics in early December 1962, reaching #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Ruby & the Romantics' orig ...
". In August 1983, after Gibb met
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...
who asked for some songs, Gibb recorded his first demo for Rogers entitled "
Eyes That See in the Dark
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' is the 15th studio album by Kenny Rogers, first released by RCA Nashville in August 1983.
Background
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' marks Barry Gibb's third production project of the 1980s outside of the Bee Gees. Gi ...
". At that time, Robin was working on his ''
How Old Are You?'' album with Maurice playing instruments. The other songs intended for Kenny Rogers were written in late 1982, then at the start of 1983, Barry continued to record the demos until April 1983, while also recording songs with the Bee Gees for the film ''
Staying Alive''. In August 1983, he produced Rogers' new album ''
Eyes That See in the Dark
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' is the 15th studio album by Kenny Rogers, first released by RCA Nashville in August 1983.
Background
''Eyes That See in the Dark'' marks Barry Gibb's third production project of the 1980s outside of the Bee Gees. Gi ...
'', which includes the song "
Islands in the Stream" by Rogers and
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
which became one of the best-selling singles in
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
.
1983–1986: Break from the Bee Gees and switch to solo projects
In August 1983, Irving Azoff signed Gibb to the MCA Records for North America. Gibb was signed for a few million dollars to a multi-album deal. Polydor still had rights to Gibb's songs outside North America. In September 1984, his album ''
Now Voyager
''Now Voyager'' is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, the member of the Bee Gees. It was released on 17 September 1984 by Polydor Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. ''Now Voyager'' was recorded someti ...
'' was released. Two singles from the album included "
Shine, Shine", a US Top 40 single that reached the Top 10 in their
Adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
charts, and "
Fine Line" which was less successful, only reaching No. 50 on the dance charts. The film ''Now Voyager'' starring Gibb was directed by Storm Thorgerson, in which Gibb is the protagonist, with actor
Michael Hordern
Sir Michael Murray Hordern Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online e ...
as his guide through a confusing world between life and death. The film includes a music video on most of the songs on ''Now Voyager''. A video for "Fine Line" featuring Gibb without his trademark beard and was filmed in black and white.
In 1985, Gibb started to record demos for
Diana Ross, for her album ''
Eaten Alive
''Eaten Alive'' (known under various alternate titles, including ''Death Trap'', ''Horror Hotel'', and ''Starlight Slaughter'', and stylized on the poster as ''Eaten Alive!'') is a 1976 American horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, and written ...
''. In the same year, he co-wrote most of the songs on Robin Gibb's album ''
Walls Have Eyes
''Walls Have Eyes'' is the fourth solo album released by singer Robin Gibb. It was released in November 1985 on EMI America Records in the US and Polydor Records throughout the rest of the world, and produced by Maurice Gibb and Tom Dowd. The tw ...
''.
In late 1985 and early 1986, he wrote new songs for his next album, though his third album ''
Moonlight Madness'' was not released and most of the songs on that album was later released in 1988. Producer
Randy Jackson plays bass on all of the tracks. Gibb co-wrote three songs for Swedish singer
Carola
Carola is a female given name, the Latinized form of the Germanic given names Caroline or Carol.
People named Carola include:
Acting
* Carola Braunbock (1924–1978), Czech-born East German actress
*Carola Höhn (1910–2005), German actres ...
on her album ''
Runaway''. Also in 1985, he joined the short-lived supergroup the Bunburys with David English.
1987–2002: Post Bee Gees
In early 1987, the Bee Gees started to record their first album in six years. In June and July 1987, Gibb and Maurice produced Andy Gibb's four new songs; one of them is "
Arrow Through the Heart" which was released in 2010. In 1987, Gibb co-wrote "Up the Revolution" by
Elton John. And in 1988, Gibb recorded two new songs for the ''
Hawks
Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica.
* The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. This subfamily ...
'' film. In September 1988, the
film soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
of the film was released by Polydor only in the U.K. The songs were all performed by Gibb except "
Chain Reaction
A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events.
Chain reactions are one way that sys ...
" (Diana Ross). The single from the soundtrack, "
Childhood Days
is a 1990 Japanese film directed by Masahiro Shinoda. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony. It was based on a manga of the same name by Motoo Abiko.
Synopsis
The film is a story of childhood life during wartime Japa ...
", reached only No. 60 in Germany.
Around 1990, the Bee Gees recorded ''
High Civilization''. In September 1990, Gibb played guitar and produced "Born to Be Loved by You" by
Kelli Wolfe, which was released as an unreleased B-side in August 1993. Around 1992, Gibb played guitar on
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
's "Let Me Wake Up in Your Arms", released in 1993. In 1993, the Bee Gees recorded and released ''
Size Isn't Everything''. In 1994, the Bee Gees and
Polydor
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States ...
planned a tour to promote ''Size Isn't Everything'', but it was off in February, due to Gibb's trouble with arthritis in the back, right hand and right knee. Gibb co-wrote "I Will Be There", which was recorded as a demo for
Tina Turner
Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...
and released on Turner's album ''
Twenty Four Seven''. In 2001, Gibb co-wrote "I Cannot Give You My Love" with Ashley Gibb, which was intended for
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...
. In September 2001, the Bee Gees re-recorded "
Islands in the Stream", which became their last session as a group, as Gibb did not seem to be present on the session in Middle Ear Studios, Miami Beach, Florida. In 2002, Gibb and
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
recorded "
All In Your Name". Also in 2002, Gibb sings background vocals on
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
's version of the 1971 song "
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album '' Trafalgar''. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in ...
".
2003–2012: Maurice's death and semi-retirement of the Bee Gees
Maurice died suddenly on 12 January 2003. Ten months later, in November of that year, Gibb produced and contributed background vocals and guitar to two songs performed by Cliff Richard, "I Cannot Give You My Love" and "How Many Sleeps?"; Maurice's keyboard work from a 2001 demo version was included in this 2003 version. On 2 May 2004, Barry and Robin Gibb received the
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
award at
Buckingham Palace; their nephew Adam accepted his father Maurice's posthumous award.
Also in 2004, Gibb co-wrote and sang background vocals on his son
Steve Gibb
Stephen Thadeus Crompton Gibb (born 1 December 1973) is a British-American guitarist. He has been a member of numerous hard rock and metal bands including 58, Black Label Society, Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow, The Underbellys, SkilletHead, and ...
's solo single "Living in the Rain". In January 2005, along with many artists, Gibb and his brother Robin recorded vocal parts for the charity single "Grief Never Grows Old" on behalf of victims of the
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. In April and May 2005, Barbra Streisand recorded songs for her new album produced by Gibb. In August 2006, two Gibb singles, "Doctor Mann" and "Underworld", were released on
iTunes. "Underworld" was featured on the film soundtrack of ''
Arctic Tale'' but not in the film. On 7 December 2006, Gibb joined 4,500 other musicians in a full-page advertisement in the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'' newspaper, calling for the
British Government to extend the existing 50-year copyright protection of sound recordings in the United Kingdom. The
fair play for musicians
Fair play for musicians is a full-page advertisement that was published on 7 December 2006 in the Financial Times newspaper calling on the UK Government to extend the existing 50 years copyright protection for sound recordings in the United Kingdo ...
advertisement proposed that the copyright be extended to the American standard of 95 years and was a direct response to the
Gowers Review (published by the British Government on 6 December 2006), which recommended the retention of the 50-year protection for sound recordings.
In 2007, "
Drown On the River" was released as a single on
iTunes. The song later appeared on the soundtrack of ''
Deal
A deal, or deals may refer to:
Places United States
* Deal, New Jersey, a borough
* Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* Deal Lake, New Jersey
Elsewhere
* Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia
* Deal, Kent, a town in England
* Deal, ...
''. Also in the same year, Gibb sang background vocals on
Jamie Jo's song "U Turn Me On" and wrote the theme music for
ITV's ''
Grease Is the Word
''Grease Is the Word'' is the United Kingdom version of NBC's '' Grease: You're the One That I Want!''. It aired during 2007, and was produced by Syco TV (the production company of Simon Cowell).
The winning couple, Susan McFadden & Danny Bayne ...
''. Also in 2007 Gibb appeared as a mentor in season six of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. On 14 March 2009, Gibb teamed with
Olivia Newton-John
Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...
to present the one-hour finale performance at a star-studded 12-hour live concert at Sydney's
Sydney Cricket Ground, part of
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009. The event was organised by Michael Gudinski, Michael Chugg, Amanda Pelman, Joe Segreto & To ...
, a fundraiser to aid victims of the February 2009
Victorian Bushfires that devastated large tracts of heavily wooded and populated south-eastern Australia, where the Gibb family once lived. The concert was televised live nationally across Australia on the
Max TV cable network. On 10 July 2009, Gibb was made a Freeman of the Borough of Douglas (Isle of Man). The award was also bestowed upon his brother Robin and posthumously upon his brother Maurice.
In late 2009, Barry and Robin announced plans to record and perform together once again as the Bee Gees.
In 2010, Gibb withdrew from a planned appearance on the
Gorillaz album ''
Plastic Beach'' which was released in March. In December 2011, his two songs, "Grey Ghost" and "Daddy's Little Girl" were released. On 21 February 2012, Gibb performed his first solo concert in the U.S. at the Seminole
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...
in Florida. He sang "
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album '' Trafalgar''. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in ...
" with Maurice's daughter, Samantha Gibb, who is a singer in her own band. Barry's son Steve was also on stage as lead guitarist and sang a Maurice composition, "
On Time". On 20 May 2012, Robin Gibb died, making Barry the sole surviving Gibb brother.
2012–present: Bee Gees' break-up and solo career
Gibb performing in 2014 at the ">Hollywood Bowl
Gibb made his debut performance at the
Grand Ole Opry on 27 July 2012, performing three songs with
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ...
. Skaggs later recorded "Soldier's Son" on which Gibb added vocals for Skaggs' album ''Music to My Ears'' released in 2012.
He commenced a world tour in 2013 in Australia called
Mythology Tour, featuring the Bee Gees anthology set
album of the same name. He was joined on stage by his son Steve and Maurice's daughter Samantha. On that tour, for the first time on stage, Gibb performed "
Playdown" (1966), "
Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You" (1967), "
I Started a Joke
"I Started a Joke" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album ''Idea'', which was released as a single in December of that year. It was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, where buyers who could not afford the album had to co ...
" (1969) and "With the Sun in My Eyes" (1968). Also, for the first time, the music video of the Bee Gees' 2001 song "Technicolor Dreams", written by Gibb, was shown before the show began. This short tour inspired
Festival Records
Festival Records (later known as Festival Mushroom Records) was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005.
Festival was a wholly owned subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to ...
to release a box set of the Bee Gees' three Australian albums, ''The Festival Albums Collection, 1965–1967'', and a 'best of' compilation of the group's Australian era songs titled ''Morning of My Life''.
On 27 October 2013, Gibb appeared at the
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...
with Kenny Rogers and
Bobby Bare; Gibb performed "Islands in the Stream" with Kelly Lang. In October, Gibb performed at the Grand Ole Opry for the second time with Ricky Skaggs. On 21 December 2013, Barry Gibb made a surprise appearance on the US television show ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' at the end of the "
Barry Gibb Talk Show" skit with
Jimmy Fallon,
Justin Timberlake and
Madonna. Also appearing that night was Sir
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
who shared the stage with Gibb during the closing credits where they embraced each other.
On 27 January 2014, Gibb appeared on the American television show ''
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' to announce the start of his first solo tour of the US. He performed "You Should Be Dancing" with help from Fallon's backing band,
the Roots. Gibb and Fallon sang some Everly Brothers songs, including "
Bye Bye Love" and "
Wake Up Little Susie". Gibb also sang "
To Love Somebody" as a bonus online performance. On 28 January, Gibb was interviewed by CNN about his brothers and, in that same interview, Gibb talked about
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
, saying he is "heading for a brick wall". In a ''Mirror'' interview with Gibb on 11 July 2014 he said he was still mourning following the death of Robin and credits his wife Linda and Paul McCartney for helping him to recover.
Gibb appeared on a McCartney tribute album, ''
The Art of McCartney'', released on 18 November 2014 performing "
When I'm Sixty-Four
"When I'm Sixty-Four" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released on their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. McCartney wrote the song when he was ab ...
". Gibb's friend, country singer
TG Sheppard
William Neal Browder (born July 20, 1944) is an American country music singer-songwriter, known professionally as T. G. Sheppard. He had 14 number-one hits on the US country charts between 1974 and 1986, including eight consecutive number ones ...
, said in an interview with Gary James that Gibb just moved to Nashville and was going into country music.
On 8 February 2015 at the
57th Annual Grammy Awards
The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time ...
, Gibb, along with the group
Pentatonix, presented the category of
Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
. On 26 March 2015, Gibb was one of the headlining acts on a music festival called the Hard Rock Rising Miami Beach Global Music Festival alongside
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fr ...
,
Gloria Estefan,
Flo Rida,
Jon Secada
Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fu ...
and
Wyclef Jean
Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...
.
On 26 June 2016, Gibb was scheduled to perform the "legend" spot at the
Glastonbury Festival in England, but pulled out due to a family illness. He did, however, appear with
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...
as a guest performer singing "
To Love Somebody" and "
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' motion picture soundtrack. The song was released in 1977 as the second single from the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The band co-produced ...
".
On 28 June 2016, it was announced that Gibb had signed to
Columbia Records and would release his second solo album, ''
In the Now
''In the Now'' is the second solo album by British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, released on 7 October 2016 by Columbia Records. Although his second solo album (since 1984's '' Now Voyager''), it is the first of all new material since the Bee G ...
'', on 7 October 2016.
The album is Gibb's first album with all new material since the Bee Gees' final studio album, ''
This Is Where I Came In
''This Is Where I Came In'' is the twenty-second and final studio album by the pop group the Bee Gees. It was released on 24 April 2001 by Polydor in the UK and Universal in the US, less than two years before Maurice Gibb died from a cardiac ar ...
'' (2001). ''In the Now'' was co-written by his sons
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
and Ashley and was produced with John Merchant.
On 25 June 2017, Gibb performed the "legend" spot at the
Glastonbury Festival in England. He also joined Coldplay on stage during the same festival in 2016.
On 6 November 2020, Gibb announced his latest album entitled ''
Greenfields'' which is a duets album featuring country artists
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
Little Big Town
Little Big Town is an American country music vocal group from Homewood, Alabama. Founded in 1998, the group has comprised the same four members since its founding: Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman (née Roads), Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbr ...
,
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass-country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed with ...
and others. The album contains 11 Bee Gees tracks and one unreleased Barry Gibb track, re-imagined as country songs. The song "Words of a Fool" featuring
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
was released the same day as a preview. The song was originally written by Gibb in 1986 for an unreleased album.
Personal life
Gibb's first marriage was to Maureen Bates, whom he married on 22 August 1966 when he was 19 years old. The couple lived together for only a short time and were divorced in July 1970.
During the taping of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' in London, Gibb met the former Miss Edinburgh, Linda Gray. On 1 September 1970 (his 24th birthday), Gibb married Gray. Together, they have five children –
(born 1973), Ashley (born 1977), Travis (born 1981), Michael (born 1984) and Alexandra (born 1991)
– and seven grandchildren.
In his 11 July 2014 interview with ''The Mirror'', Gibb said he became friends with
: "He would come to Miami and stay in our house. He'd sit in the kitchen and watch the fans outside his hotel on TV, just giggling – 'Hee hee!' He lived upstairs for a while, right before his
. We never discussed the case. We would just sit around and write and get drunk. Michael liked wine – there were a few nights when he just went to sleep on the floor", adding that he misses Jackson.
, US intending to restore it and turn it into a songwriting retreat. The house was destroyed by fire on 10 April 2007 while under renovation.
On 10 July 2009, Gibb was made a Freeman of the Borough of Douglas (Isle of Man). The award was also bestowed upon his brother Robin and posthumously upon his brother Maurice.
Also in 2009, Gibb and his wife became U.S. citizens, while retaining their UK citizenship. Gibb has homes in
'' listed Barry Gibb among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the
.
.
acknowledged that they would sing in the style of the Everlys and then add a third harmony; the result was "
" (1967). When Gibb heard
", he said: "That was it. To me that was the voice of God."
as one of his influences: "Frankie Valli has become one of the hallmark voices of our generation. He created a style that we all still strive to emulate." Gibb was also influenced by
as his songs on the 1970 unreleased ''The Kid's No Good'' show: "Country music always inspired us. I love Nashville and I love this music. Since my brothers passed, I've been able to be self-indulgent. I've been able to go where I love the music".
'' magazine at No. 38 on their list of '100 Greatest Singers' in 2007.
Gibb had a highly successful career as a member of the Bee Gees, a group near the top of the
. When the group was inducted into the
'' pushed the film's soundtrack past the 40 million mark in sales. It reigned as the top-selling album until Michael Jackson's ''
''. They are the only group in pop history to write, produce and record six straight No. 1 hits. They have also had 16
(CBE) in 2002. On 2 May 2004, Barry and Robin received their awards at
, along with their nephew Adam, who collected the award on behalf of his father Maurice, who had died in January 2003.
. He was also made an
for eminent service to the performing arts as a musician, songwriter and record producer, to the advancement of Australian music artists and to philanthropy.
.
and, for one week in March, four of the top five songs were written by him. His songs were No. 1 for 27 out of 37 weeks from 24 December 1977 to 2 September 1978. Gibb also holds a very unusual record, in that he is the only songwriter in history to write four successive US No. 1 hits: in 1978, the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" was replaced at number one by Andy's single, "Love Is Thicker Than Water", followed by the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" for their longest run, seven weeks. This was then replaced by the Bee Gee's "If I Can't Have You", recorded by
. He is the only male artist to have 10 songs on the 600 biggest songs of the Hot 100 Billboard in its history, having co-written, co-produced or performed them.
As a songwriter, Gibb has had No. 1 songs in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, when "
" became No. 1 in the UK as the
single for 2009. His compositions for the Bee Gees have been recorded by numerous artists, including
. Australian musician
, Barry Gibb's melodies made the songs timeless.'
Gibb's solo songs have been recorded by number of artists, including
and many others.
.