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The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and
Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...
. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in the
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
music era in the mid-to-late 1970s. The group sang recognisable three-part tight harmonies: Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
became their signature sound during the mid-to-late 1970s and 1980s. The group wrote all their own original material, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop-music history. They have been referred to in the media as The Disco Kings, Britain's First Family of Harmony, and The Kings of Dance Music. Born on the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived in Chorlton, Manchester, England, until the late 1950s. There, in 1955, they formed the
skiffle Skiffle is a music genre, genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, Country music, country, Bluegrass music, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. ...
/
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
group the Rattlesnakes. The family then moved to Redcliffe, in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia, and later to Cribb Island. After achieving their first chart successes in Australia as the Bee Gees, they returned to the UK in January 1967, when producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience. The Bee Gees' ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack (1977) was the turning point of their career, with both the film and soundtrack having a cultural impact throughout the world, enhancing the disco scene's mainstream appeal. They won five
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
for ''Saturday Night Fever'', including Album of the Year. The Bee Gees have sold over 120 million records worldwide, placing them among the best-selling music artists of all time, as well as the most successful trio in the history of contemporary music. They were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 1997; the Hall's citation stating at the time, "Only
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
,
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
,
Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...
and
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
have outsold the Bee Gees." With nine number-one hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the Bee Gees are the third-most successful band in ''Billboard'' charts history behind only the Beatles and
the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
. Following Maurice's sudden death in 2003 aged 53, Barry and Robin retired from the group after 45 years of activity. However, in 2009 Robin announced that he and Barry had agreed the Bee Gees would re-form and perform again. Robin died in 2012, aged 62, and
Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (24 March 1946 – 18 November 2024) was an Australian musician and 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 was replaced ...
died in 2024, aged 78, leaving Barry, Vince Melouney, and Geoff Bridgford as the surviving members of the group.


History


1955–1966: Music origins, Bee Gees formation and popularity in Australia

Born on the
Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...
in the late 1940s, the Gibb brothers moved to their father
Hugh Gibb Hugh Leslie Gibb (15 January 1916 – 6 March 1992) was an English drummer, bandleader and the father of musicians Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, Maurice Gibb, Maurice and Andy Gibb. Barry, Robin and Maurice would go on to form the Bee ...
's home town
Chorlton-cum-Hardy Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of Manchester, England, southwest of the Manchester city centre, city centre. Chorlton (ward), Chorlton ward had a population of 14,138 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census, and Chorlton Park (w ...
, Manchester, England, in 1955. They formed a
skiffle Skiffle is a music genre, genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, Country music, country, Bluegrass music, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. ...
/rock-and-roll group, the Rattlesnakes, which consisted of Barry on guitar and vocals, Robin and Maurice on vocals, and friends Paul Frost on drums and Kenny Horrocks on tea-chest bass. In December 1957, the boys began to sing in harmony. The story is told that they were going to lip-sync to a record in the local Gaumont cinema (as other children had done on previous weeks), but, as they were running to the theatre, the fragile shellac 78-RPM record broke. The brothers had to sing live but received such a positive response from the audience that they decided to pursue a singing career. In May 1958, the Rattlesnakes disbanded when Frost and Horrocks left, so the Gibb brothers then formed Wee Johnny Hayes and the Blue Cats, with Barry as "Johnny Hayes". In August 1958, the Gibb family, including older sister Lesley and infant brother Andy (born in March 1958), emigrated to Australia and settled in Redcliffe, Queensland, just north-east of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
. The young brothers began performing to raise pocket money.
Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...
promoter and driver Bill Goode, who had hired the brothers to entertain the crowd at the Redcliffe Speedway in 1960, introduced them to Brisbane radio-presenter jockey Bill Gates. The crowd at the speedway would throw money onto the track for the boys, who generally performed during the interval of meetings (usually on the back of a truck that drove around the track) and, in a deal with Goode, any money they collected from the crowd they were allowed to keep. Gates named the group the "BGs" (later changed to "Bee Gees") after his, Goode's and Barry Gibb's initials. The name was not specifically a reference to "Brothers Gibb", despite popular belief. During the next few years, they began working regularly at resorts on the Queensland coast. Through his songwriting, Barry sparked the interest of Australian star Col Joye, who helped the brothers get a recording deal in 1963 with Festival Records subsidiary
Leedon Records Leedon Records was an Australian record label active from 1958 to 1969. It was founded by United States, American Australian entrepreneur Lee Gordon (promoter), Lee Gordon in early 1958. Establishment and early releases In Australian in the 195 ...
under the name "Bee Gees". The three released two or three singles a year, while Barry supplied additional songs to other Australian artists. In 1962 the Bee Gees were chosen as the supporting act for Chubby Checker's concert at the Sydney Stadium. From 1963 to 1966, the Gibb family lived at 171 Bunnerong Road, Maroubra, in Sydney. Just before his death, Robin Gibb recorded the song "Sydney" about the brothers' experience of living in that city. It was released on his posthumous album '' 50 St. Catherine's Drive''. The house was demolished in 2016. 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 1966 Festival Records was, however, on the verge of dropping them from the Leedon roster because of their perceived lack of commercial success. At this time the brothers met the American-born songwriter, producer, and entrepreneur Nat Kipner, who had just been appointed A&R manager of a new independent
label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...
, Spin Records. Kipner briefly took over as the group's manager and successfully negotiated their transfer to Spin in exchange for granting Festival the Australian distribution rights to the group's recordings. Through Kipner the Bee Gees met engineer-producer, Ossie Byrne, who produced (or co-produced with Kipner) many of the earlier Spin recordings, most of which were cut at his own small, self-built St Clair Studio in the Sydney suburb of
Hurstville Hurstville is a suburb in Southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is south of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD and is part of the St George, New South Wales, St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of ...
. Byrne gave the Gibb brothers virtually unlimited access to St Clair Studio over a period of several months in mid-1966. The group later acknowledged that this enabled them to significantly improve their skills as recording artists. During this productive time, they recorded a large batch of original material—including the song that became their first major hit, " Spicks and Specks" (on which Byrne played the trumpet coda)—as well as cover versions of current hits by overseas acts such as the Beatles. They regularly collaborated with other local musicians, including members of beat band Steve & The Board, led by Steve Kipner, Nat's teenage son. Frustrated by their lack of success, the Gibbs began their return journey to England on 4 January 1967, with Ossie Byrne travelling with them. While at sea in January 1967, the Gibbs learned that ''
Go-Set ''Go-Set'' was the first Australian pop music newspaper, published weekly from 2 February 1966 to 24 August 1974, and was founded in Melbourne by Phillip Frazer, Peter Raphael and Tony Schauble. NOTE: This PDF is 282 pages. Widely described as ...
'', Australia's most popular and influential music newspaper, had declared "Spicks and Specks" the "Best Single of the Year".


1967–1969: International fame and touring years


''Bee Gees' 1st'', ''Horizontal'' and ''Idea''

Before their departure from Australia to England, Hugh Gibb sent demos to
Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...
, who managed
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and directed NEMS, a British music store. Epstein passed the demo tapes to Robert Stigwood, who had recently joined NEMS. After an audition with Stigwood in February 1967, the Bee Gees signed a five-year contract whereby
Polydor Records Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a 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 ...
would release their records in the UK, and
Atco Records ATCO Records is an American record label founded in 1955. It is owned by Warner Music Group and operates as an imprint of Atlantic Records. After several decades of dormancy and infrequent activity under alternating Warner Music labels, the com ...
would do so in the US. Work quickly began on the group's first international album, and Stigwood launched a promotional campaign to coincide with its release. Stigwood proclaimed that the Bee Gees were "The most significant new musical talent of 1967", thus initiating the comparison of the Bee Gees to the Beatles. Before recording the first album, the group expanded to include
Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (24 March 1946 – 18 November 2024) was an Australian musician and 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 was replaced ...
and Vince Melouney. " New York Mining Disaster 1941", their second British single (their first-issued UK 45 rpm was "Spicks and Specks"), was issued to radio stations with a blank white label listing only the song title. Some DJs immediately assumed this was a new single by the Beatles and started playing the song in heavy rotation. This helped the song climb into the top 20 in both the UK and US. No such chicanery was needed to boost the Bee Gees' next single, " To Love Somebody", into the US Top 20. Originally written for Otis Redding, "To Love Somebody", a soulful ballad sung by Barry, has since become a pop standard recorded by many singers. Another single, "
Holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...
", released in the US, peaked at No. 16. The parent album, '' Bee Gees 1st'' (their first internationally), peaked at No. 7 in the US and No. 8 in the UK. Bill Shepherd was credited as the arranger. After recording that album, the group recorded their first BBC session at the Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, in London, with Bill Bebb as the producer, and they performed three songs. That session is included on ''BBC Sessions: 1967–1973'' (2008). After the release of ''Bee Gees' 1st'', the group was first introduced in New York as "the English surprise". At that time, the band made their first British TV appearance on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
''. Maurice recalled: In late 1967, they began recording their second album. On 21 December 1967, in a live broadcast from
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral Liverpool Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Liverpool, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Liverpool and is the mother church of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool, diocese of Liverpool. The church may be formally re ...
for a Christmas television special called ''How On Earth?,'' they performed their own song, "Thank You For Christmas" which was written especially for the programme, as well as a medley of the traditional Christmas carols "
Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...
", "
The First Noel "The First Nowell" (or Nowel), modernised as "The First Noel" (or Noël), is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.. It is listed as number 682 in the Ro ...
" and " Mary's Boy Child" (the latter incorrectly noted as "
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection ''Hymns and Sacred Poems''. The carol, based on , tells of an angelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it ...
" on tape boxes and subsequent release). The songs were all pre-recorded on 1 December 1967 and the group lip-synched their performance. The recordings were eventually released on the "Horizontal" reissue bonus disc in 2008. The folk group
the Settlers ''The Settlers'' () is a City-building game, city-building and real-time strategy video game series created by Volker Wertich in 1993. The The Settlers (1993 video game), original game was released on the Amiga, with subsequent games released p ...
and Radio 1 disc-jockey,
Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English radio Disc Jockey, DJ and television entertainer, known for his zany comedic style. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the m ...
, also performed on the programme, which was presented by the Reverend Edward H. Patey, dean of the cathedral. January 1968 began with a promotional trip to the US.
Los Angeles Police {{Unreferenced, date=June 2019, bot=noref (GreenC bot) Law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, ...
were on alert in anticipation of a Beatles-type reception, and special security arrangements were being put in place. In February, '' Horizontal'' repeated the success of their first album, featuring the group's first UK No. 1 single "
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
" (a No. 11 US hit) and the No. 7 UK single "
World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...
"."Bee Gees: UK Charts History"
Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 December 2014
The sound of the album ''Horizontal'' had a more "rock" sound than their previous release, although ballads like " And the Sun Will Shine" and " Really and Sincerely" were included. The ''Horizontal'' album reached No. 12 in the US and No. 16 in the UK. With the release of ''Horizontal'', they also embarked on a Scandinavian tour with concerts in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. Around the same time, the Bee Gees turned down an offer to write and perform the soundtrack for the film '' Wonderwall'', according to director
Joe Massot Joe Massot (1933 – April 4, 2002) was an American writer and film director who was known for the film ''Wonderwall (film), Wonderwall'' (1968) which featured a Wonderwall Music, soundtrack by George Harrison, and the Led Zeppelin concert film ...
. On 27 February 1968, the band, backed by the 17-piece Massachusetts String Orchestra, began their first tour of Germany with two concerts at Hamburg Musikhalle. In March 1968, the band was supported by
Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold more than List of best-selling si ...
(who had a hit " A Whiter Shade of Pale") on their German tour. As Robin's partner Molly Hullis recalls: "Germans were wilder than the fans in England at the heights of Beatlemania." The tour schedule took them to 11 venues in as many days with 18 concerts played, finishing with a brace of shows at the Stadthalle,
Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
. After that, the group was off to
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. As Maurice described it: On 17 March, the band performed "Words" on ''
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 City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
''. The other artists who performed on that night's show were
Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...
, George Hamilton and
Fran Jeffries Fran Jeffries (born Frances Ann Makris; May 18, 1937 – December 15, 2016) was an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. Early life Jeffries was born Frances Ann Makris on May 18, 1937, in Palo Alto, California, the daughter of Esther A. ...
. On 27 March 1968, the band performed at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...
in London. Two more singles followed in early 1968: the ballad " Words" (No. 8 UK, No. 15 US) and the double A-sided single "
Jumbo Jumbo (December 25, 1860 – September 15, 1885), also known as Jumbo the Elephant and Jumbo the Circus Elephant, was a 19th-century male African bush elephant born in Sudan. Jumbo was exported to Jardin des Plantes, a zoo in Paris, and then tr ...
" backed with "
The Singer Sang His Song "The Singer Sang His Song" is a song by the Bee Gees, written by Barry and Robin and released in early 1968 as a single along with Jumbo. In some countries the song was the B-side of Jumbo but in others they were promoted as a double A-side. ...
". "Jumbo" only reached No. 25 in the UK and No. 57 in the US. The Bee Gees felt "The Singer Sang His Song" was the stronger of the two sides, an opinion shared by listeners in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
who made it a No. 3 hit. Further Bee Gees chart singles followed: "
I've Gotta Get a Message to You "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" is a song by the Bee Gees. Released as a single in 1968, it was their second number-one hit in the UK Singles Chart, and their first US Top 10 hit. Barry Gibb re-recorded the song with Keith Urban for his 2021 ...
", their second UK No. 1 (No. 8 US), and "
I Started a Joke "I Started a Joke" is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album Idea (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 al ...
" (No. 6 US), both culled from the band's third album ''
Idea In philosophy and in common usage, an idea (from the Greek word: ἰδέα (idea), meaning 'a form, or a pattern') is the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophe ...
''. ''Idea'' reached No. 4 in the UK and was another top 20 album in the US (No. 17). After the tour and TV special to promote the album, Vince Melouney left the group, desiring to play more of a blues style music than the Gibbs were writing. Melouney did achieve one feat while with the Bee Gees: his " Such a Shame" (from ''Idea'') is the only song on any Bee Gees album not written by a Gibb brother. The band were due to begin a seven-week tour of the US on 2 August 1968, but on 27 July, Robin collapsed and fell unconscious. He was admitted to a London nursing home for nervous exhaustion, and the American tour was postponed. The band began recording their sixth album, which resulted in their spending a week recording at Atlantic Studios in New York. Robin, still feeling poorly, missed the New York sessions, but the rest of the band put away instrumental tracks and demos.


''Odessa'', ''Cucumber Castle'' and break-up

By 1969, Robin began to feel that Stigwood had been favouring Barry as the frontman. The Bee Gees' performances in early 1969 on the ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
'' and '' The Tom Jones Show'', singing "I Started a Joke" and "First of May" as a medley, were the final appearances of the group with Robin. Their next album, which was to have been a concept album called ''Masterpeace'', evolved into the double-album ''
Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
''. Most rock critics felt this was the best Bee Gees album of the 1960s with its progressive rock feel on the title track, the country-flavoured " Marley Purt Drive" and "
Give Your Best ''Odessa'' is the sixth studio album by the Bee Gees, a double vinyl LP record, LP released in February 1969 in the US and March 1969 in the UK, initially in an opulent red flocked cover with gold lettering. Despite reaching the UK top ten and ...
", and ballads such as " Melody Fair" and " First of May" (the last of which became the only single from the album and a UK # 6 hit). Feeling the flipside, "
Lamplight "Lamplight" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as the B-side of "First of May (Bee Gees song), First of May", but featured as the single's A-side in Germany. It also featured on their double album ''Odessa (Bee Gees album), Odessa'' in March 1969 ...
", should have been the A-side, Robin quit the group in mid-1969 and launched a solo career. The first of many Bee Gees compilations, '' Best of Bee Gees'', was released featuring the non-LP single " Words" plus the Australian hit " Spicks and Specks". The single " Tomorrow Tomorrow" was also released and was a moderate hit in the UK, where it reached No. 23, but it was only No. 54 in the US. The compilation reached the top 10 in both the UK and the US. While Robin pursued his solo career, Barry, Maurice and Petersen continued as the Bee Gees on their next album, ''
Cucumber Castle ''Cucumber Castle'' is the seventh studio album by the Bee Gees, released in April 1970. It was produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robert Stigwood. It consists of songs from their television special of Cucumber Castle (film), the same na ...
''. The band made their debut performance without Robin at Talk of the Town. They had recruited their sister, Lesley, to participate in at least one performance at this time as a replacement for Robin. To accompany the album, they also filmed a TV special 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 a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...
and cameos from several other contemporary pop and rock stars, which aired on the BBC in December 1970. Petersen played drums on the tracks recorded for the album but was fired from the group after filming began (he went on to form the
Humpy Bong Humpy Bong were an English folk rock band formed in London in 1970, by former Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen and Irish folk rock singer Jonathan Kelly. Beginnings Colin Petersen was a child actor in Australia and drummer with the Bee Gees. J ...
with
Jonathan Kelly Jonathan Kelly (born Jonathan Ledingham, 8 July 1947 – 2 May 2020) was an Irish folk rock singer-songwriter, who enjoyed a varied career in music, playing with many musicians and groups, including Eric Clapton and Tim Staffell. He formed Jon ...
). His parts were edited out of the final cut of the film and Pentangle drummer Terry Cox was recruited to complete the recording of songs for the album. A proposed feature film starring the group, '' Lord Kitchener's Little Drummer Boys'', was not made. After the album was released in early 1970, it seemed that the Bee Gees were finished. The leadoff single, " Don't Forget to Remember", was a big hit in the UK, reaching No. 2, but only reached No. 73 in the US. The next two singles, "
I.O.I.O. "I.O.I.O." is a song by the Bee Gees, released on the album ''Cucumber Castle''. It was written by Barry Gibb, Barry and Maurice Gibb. The song was released as a single in March 1970, and was also one of the highlights of the album. The single was ...
" and "
If I Only Had My Mind on Something Else "If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else" is a pop ballad recorded by the Bee Gees. It was written by Barry Gibb, Barry and Maurice Gibb. It was the first track on the album ''Cucumber Castle''. A remastered version was released in 1990 on ''Tales ...
", barely scraped the charts. On 1 December 1969, Barry and Maurice parted ways professionally. Maurice started to record his first solo album, '' The Loner'', which was not released. Meanwhile, he released the single "
Railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
" and starred in the West End musical ''Sing a Rude Song''. In February 1970, Barry recorded a solo album which never saw official release either, although "
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 ...
" was released as a single backed by "This Time" without much interest. Meanwhile, Robin saw chart success in Europe and Australia with his UK No. 2 hit " Saved by the Bell" from the album '' Robin's Reign''.


1970–1974: Reformation

In mid 1970, according to Barry, "Robin rang me in Spain where I was on holiday aying'let's do it again'". By 21 August 1970, after they had reunited, Barry announced that the Bee Gees "are there and they will never, ever part again". Maurice said, "We just discussed it and re-formed. We want to apologise publicly to Robin for the things that have been said." Earlier, in June 1970, Robin and Maurice recorded a dozen songs before Barry joined and included two songs that were on their reunion album. Around the same time, Barry and Robin were about to publish the book ''On the Other Hand''. They also recruited Geoff Bridgford as the group's official drummer. Bridgford had previously worked with the Groove and Tin Tin and played drums on Maurice's unreleased first solo album. In 1970, '' 2 Years On'' was released in October in the US and November in the UK. The lead single " Lonely Days" reached No. 3 in the United States, promoted by appearances on '' The Johnny Cash Show,'' ''
Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...
's Tonight Show'', '' The Andy Williams Show'', '' The Dick Cavett Show'' and ''
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 City, New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the ''CB ...
''. Their ninth album, '' Trafalgar'', was released in late 1971. The single "
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees on 28 May 1971, with B-side "Country Woman" (a Maurice Gibb composition). It was written by Barry Gibb, Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 alb ...
" was their first to hit No. 1 on the US charts, while "
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
" reached No. 22 in the Netherlands. "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" also brought the Bee Gees their first
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Later that year, the group's songs were included in the soundtrack for the film ''
Melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
''. In 1972, they hit No. 16 in the US with the non-album single " My World", backed by Maurice's composition " On Time". Another 1972 single, " Run to Me" from the LP '' To Whom It May Concern'', returned them to the UK top 10 for the first time in three years. Bridgford left the group partway through recording, and the band chose not to hire a new member to replace him. The resulting three-piece lineup of Barry, Robin and Maurice would remain unbroken for the remainder of the band's active years. On 24 November 1972, the band headlined the "Woodstock of the West" Festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum (which was a West Coast answer to Woodstock in New York), which also featured
Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul music, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel music, gospel, and R&B, becam ...
,
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
and the
Eagles Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
. Also in 1972, the group sang "
Hey Jude "Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock music, rock band the Beatles that was released as a non-album single in August 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The single was the Beatles' fir ...
" with Wilson Pickett. By 1973, however, the Bee Gees were in a rut. The album ''
Life in a Tin Can ''Life in a Tin Can'' is the Bee Gees' eleventh studio album (ninth worldwide), released in January 1973 in the US and on 1 March 1973 in the UK. Background The Bee Gees travelled to Los Angeles to record ''Life in a Tin Can''. However, it was ...
'', released on Robert Stigwood's newly formed RSO Records, and its lead-off single, " Saw a New Morning", sold poorly with the single peaking at No. 94. This was followed by an unreleased album (known as '' A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants''). They also released an album only available in South America, '' Kitty Can''. Another compilation album, '' Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2'', was released in 1973, although it did not repeat the success of Volume 1. On 6 April 1973 episode of '' The Midnight Special'' they performed "
Money (That's What I Want) "Money (That's What I Want)" is a rhythm and blues song written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, which was the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise. Barrett Strong recorded it in 1959 as a single for the Tamla label, ...
" with
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
. Also in 1973, they were invited by
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
to perform two songs with him onstage at ''The Midnight Special'': "
Johnny B. Goode "Johnny B. Goode" is a song by American musician Chuck Berry, written and sung by Berry in 1958. Released as a Single (music), single in 1958, it peaked at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Sides chart and number eight on its pre ...
" and " Reelin' and Rockin'". After a tour of the United States in early 1974 and a Canadian tour later in the year, the group ended up playing small clubs. As Barry joked, "We ended up in, have you ever heard of Batley's the variety club in (
West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
) England?". On the advice of Ahmet Ertegun, head of their US label
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
, Stigwood arranged for the group to record with
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...
producer Arif Mardin. The resulting LP, '' Mr. Natural'', included fewer ballads and foreshadowed the R&B direction of the rest of their career. When it, too, failed to attract much interest, Mardin encouraged them to work within 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 The Strawbs are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known for their hi ...
keyboard player Blue Weaver, completing the Bee Gees band that lasted through the late 1970s. Maurice, who had previously performed on piano, guitar, harpsichord, electric piano, organ,
mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...
and bass guitar, as well as
mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...
and Moog synthesiser, by then confined himself to bass onstage.


1975–1979: Turning to disco


''Main Course'' and ''Children of the World''

At
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
's suggestion, the brothers moved to
Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, early in 1975 to record at Criteria Studios. After starting off with ballads, they eventually heeded the urging of Mardin and Stigwood, and crafted more dance-oriented
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
songs, including their second US No. 1, "
Jive Talkin' "Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album ''Main Course'' (as well as a song on the 1977 ''Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack), Saturday Night Fever'' soundt ...
", along with US No. 7 " Nights on Broadway". The band liked the resulting new sound. This time the public agreed by sending the LP ''
Main Course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...
'' up the charts. This album included the first Bee Gees songs wherein Barry used
falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...
, something that became a trademark of the band. This was also the first Bee Gees album to have two US top-10 singles since 1968's ''Idea''. ''Main Course'' also became their first charting R&B album. On the Bee Gees' appearance on ''The Midnight Special'' in 1975, to promote ''Main Course'', they sang "To Love Somebody" with
Helen Reddy Helen Maxine Reddy (25 October 194129 September 2020) was an Australian-American singer, actress, television host, and activist. Born in Melbourne to a show business family, Reddy started her career as an entertainer at age four. She sang on ra ...
. Around the same time, the Bee Gees recorded three Beatles covers—"
Golden Slumbers "Golden Slumbers" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1969 album ''Abbey Road''. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it is the sixth song of the album's Abbey Road#Medley, climactic B-side medley. ...
/ Carry That Weight", " She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" with Barry providing lead vocals, and " Sun King" with Maurice providing lead vocals, for the unsuccessful musical/documentary '' All This and World War II''. The next album, '' Children of the World'', released in September 1976, was filled with Barry's new-found falsetto and Weaver's synthesizer disco licks. The first single from the album was " You Should Be Dancing", which features percussion work by musician Stephen Stills. The song pushed the Bee Gees to a level of stardom they had not previously achieved in the US, though their new R&B/disco sound was not as popular with some diehard fans. The pop ballad " Love So Right" reached No. 3 in the US, and " Boogie Child" reached US No. 12 in January 1977. The album peaked at No. 8 in the US.


''Saturday Night Fever'' and ''Spirits Having Flown''

Following a successful live album, '' Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live'', the Bee Gees agreed with Stigwood to participate in the creation of the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. It was a turning point in their career. The cultural impact of both the film and the soundtrack was significant throughout the world, and epitomized the
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
phenomenon on both sides of the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...
. The band's involvement in the film did not begin until post-production. As
John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. List of awards and nominations received by John Travolta, His accolades include a Primetime Em ...
asserted, "The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning ... I was dancing to
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
and Boz Scaggs."Sam Kashner, "Fever Pitch", ''Movies Rock'' (Supplement to ''The New Yorker''), Fall 2007, unnumbered page. Producer Robert Stigwood commissioned the Bee Gees to create the songs for the film. The brothers wrote the songs "virtually in a single weekend" at Château d'Hérouville studio in France. Barry Gibb remembered the reaction when Stigwood and music supervisor Bill Oakes arrived and listened to the demos: Bill Oakes, who supervised the soundtrack, asserts that '' Saturday Night Fever'' did not begin the disco craze but rather prolonged it: "Disco had run its course. These days, ''Fever'' is credited with kicking off the whole disco thing—it really didn't. Truth is, it breathed new life into a genre that was actually dying." Three Bee Gees singles—" How Deep Is Your Love" (US No. 1, UK No. 3), " Stayin' Alive" (US No. 1, UK No. 4) and " Night Fever" (US No. 1, UK No. 1)—charted high in many 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 US No. 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 to an album track, and another by Tavares, which was the hit. During a nine-month period beginning in the Christmas season of 1977, seven songs written by the brothers held the No. 1 position on the US charts for 27 of 37 consecutive weeks: three of their own releases, two for brother Andy Gibb, the Yvonne Elliman single, and " Grease", performed by
Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...
. Fuelled by the film's success, the soundtrack broke multiple industry records, becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that point. With more than 40 million copies sold, ''Saturday Night Fever'' is among music's top five best selling soundtrack albums. , it is calculated as the fourth highest-selling album worldwide. In March 1978, the Bee Gees held the top two positions on the US charts with "Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive", the first time this had happened since the Beatles. On the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart for 25 March 1978, five songs written by the Gibbs were in the US top 10 at the same time: "Night Fever", "Stayin' Alive", "If I Can't Have You", "Emotion" and "Love Is Thicker Than Water". Such chart dominance had not been seen since April 1964, when the Beatles had all five of the top five American singles. Barry Gibb became the only songwriter to have four consecutive number-one hits in the US, breaking the
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
and
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
1964 record. These songs were "Stayin' Alive", "Love Is Thicker Than Water", "Night Fever" and "If I Can't Have You". The Bee Gees won five
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
for ''Saturday Night Fever'' over two years: Album of the Year, Producer of the Year (with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson), two awards for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (one in 1978 for "How Deep Is Your Love" and one in 1979 for "Stayin' Alive"), and Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices for "Stayin' Alive". During this era, Barry and Robin also wrote "
Emotion Emotions are physical and mental states brought on by neurophysiology, neurophysiological changes, variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavior, behavioral responses, and a degree of pleasure or suffering, displeasure. There is ...
" for an old friend, Australian vocalist
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 ...
, who made it a top 10 hit, with the Bee Gees singing backing vocals. Barry also wrote the title song to the film version of the Broadway musical '' Grease'' for
Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...
to perform, which went to No. 1. The Bee Gees also co-starred with Peter Frampton in Robert Stigwood's film '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' (1978), loosely inspired by the classic 1967 album by the Beatles. The movie had been heavily promoted prior to release and was expected to enjoy great commercial success. However, it was savaged by film critics as a disjointed mess and ignored by the public. The soundtrack charted top five in the U.S., but only top 38 in Britain. The single " Oh! Darling", credited to Robin Gibb, reached No. 15 in the US. The Bee Gees' follow-up to ''Saturday Night Fever'' was the '' Spirits Having Flown'' album. It yielded three more hits: " Too Much Heaven" (US No. 1, UK No. 3), "
Tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...
" (US No. 1, UK No. 1), and " Love You Inside Out" (US No. 1, UK No. 13). This gave the act six consecutive No. 1 singles in the US within a year and a half, equalling the Beatles and surpassed only by
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
. In January 1979, the Bee Gees performed "Too Much Heaven" as their contribution to the Music for UNICEF Concert at the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...
. During the summer of 1979, the Bee Gees embarked on their largest concert tour covering the US and Canada. The Spirits Having Flown tour capitalised on Bee Gees fever that was sweeping the nation, with sold-out concerts in 38 cities. The Bee Gees produced a video for the title track " Too Much Heaven", directed by Miami-based filmmaker Martin Pitts and produced by Charles Allen. With this video, Pitts and Allen began a long association with the brothers. 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", which made the top 40 on the country charts. It was also a 1981 hit for Conway Twitty, topping the
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
charts. The Bee Gees' 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. Encouraged by Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition Night, radio stations around the US began promoting "Bee Gee-Free Weekends". Following their remarkable run from 1975 to 1979, the act had only one more top 10 single in the US, and that did not come until the single "One" reached number 7 in 1989. Barry Gibb considered the success of the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack both a blessing and a curse:


1980–1986: Outside projects, band turmoil, solo efforts and decline

Robin co-produced
Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...
's ''
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
'' released in May 1980, but the songs were started in 1979; the album contains songs written by the Gibb brothers, including the single "Hold On To My Love". In March 1980, Barry Gibb worked with
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
on her album '' Guilty''. He co-produced, and wrote or co-wrote all nine of the album's tracks (four of them written with Robin, and the title track with both Robin and Maurice). Barry also appeared on the album's cover with Streisand and duetted with her on two tracks. The album reached No. 1 in both the US and the UK, as did the single " Woman in Love" (written by Barry and Robin), becoming Streisand's most successful single and album to date. Both of the Streisand/Gibb duets, " Guilty" and " What Kind of Fool", also reached the US Top 10. In 1981, the Bee Gees released the album '' Living Eyes'', their last full-length album release on RSO. This album was the first CD ever played in public, when it was played to viewers of the BBC show '' Tomorrow's World''. With the disco backlash still running strong, the album failed to make the UK or US Top 40—breaking their streak of Top 40 hits, which started in 1975 with "
Jive Talkin' "Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album ''Main Course'' (as well as a song on the 1977 ''Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack), Saturday Night Fever'' soundt ...
". Two singles from the album fared little better—"
He's a Liar "He's a Liar" is a song by the Bee Gees, released on 19 September 1981 as the first single from their album ''Living Eyes (Bee Gees album), Living Eyes''. The song was written by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb. Ba ...
", which reached No. 30 in the US, and " Living Eyes", which reached No. 45. In 1982,
Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...
enjoyed a UK No. 2 and US Adult Contemporary No. 1 hit with her comeback single, " Heartbreaker", taken from her album of the same name, written largely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry Gibb. The album reached No. 3 in the UK and the Top 30 in the US, where it was certified Gold. A year later,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
and
Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (born Kenneth Donald Rogers) (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particul ...
recorded the Bee Gees-penned track " Islands in the Stream", which became a US and Australian No. 1 hit and entered the Top 10 in the UK. Rogers' 1983 album, ''
Eyes That See in the Dark ''Eyes That See in the Dark'' is the fifteenth studio album by American country singer Kenny Rogers, released by RCA Records in August 1983. Background ''Eyes That See in the Dark'' marks Barry Gibb's third production project of the 1980s outsid ...
'', was written entirely by the Bee Gees and co-produced by Barry. The album was a Top 10 hit in the US and was certified Double Platinum. The Bee Gees had greater success with the
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
to '' Staying Alive'' in 1983, the sequel to '' Saturday Night Fever''. The soundtrack was certified platinum in the US, and included their Top 30 hit "
The Woman in You "The Woman in You" is one of five songs the Bee Gees contributed to the film, ''Staying Alive (1983 film), Staying Alive'', the sequel to ''Saturday Night Fever''. It was their most recent song on that time to reach the Top 40 on ''Billboard'' Ho ...
". Also in 1983, the band was sued by Chicago songwriter Ronald Selle, who claimed the 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. In August 1983, Barry signed a solo deal with MCA Records and spent much of late 1983 and 1984 writing songs for this first solo effort, '' Now Voyager''. Robin released three solo albums in the 1980s, '' How Old Are You?'', '' Secret Agent'' and '' Walls Have Eyes''. Maurice released his second single to date, "
Hold Her in Your Hand ''A Breed Apart'' is the soundtrack album for the film ''A Breed Apart'', composed and performed by Maurice Gibb. Majority of the record has been recorded in 1984, and the soundtrack was the last recording session at the Gold Star Studios in Los A ...
", the first one having been released in 1970. In 1985,
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
released the album '' Eaten Alive'', written by the Bee Gees, with the title track co-written with
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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
(who also performed on the track). The album was again co-produced by Barry Gibb, and the single "
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 ...
" gave Ross a UK and Australian No. 1 hit.


1987–1999: Comeback, return to popularity and Andy's death

The Bee Gees released the album '' E.S.P.'' in 1987, which sold over 2 million copies. It was their first album in six years and their first for Warner Bros. Records. The single " You Win Again" went to No. 1 in numerous countries, including the UK, and made the Bee Gees the first group to score a UK No. 1 hit in each of three decades: the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The single was a disappointment in the US, charting at No. 75, and the Bee Gees voiced their frustration over American radio stations not playing their new European hit single, an omission which the group felt led to poor sales of their current album in the US. The song won the Bee Gees the 1987 British Academy's
Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, and in February 1988 the band received a Brit Award nomination for Best British Group. The Bee Gees later got together with
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
to create a group called ' the Bunburys' to raise money for English charities. The group recorded three songs for ''The Bunbury Tails'': "We're the Bunburys" (which eventually became the opening theme to the 1992 animated series ''The Bunbury Tails''), "Bunbury Afternoon", and "Fight (No Matter How Long)". The last song reached No. 8 on the rock music chart and appeared on '' The 1988 Summer Olympics Album''. The Bee Gees' next album, ''
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
'' (1989), featured "Wish You Were Here", a song dedicated to their younger brother Andy, who had died in 1988 of
myocarditis Myocarditis is inflammation of the cardiac muscle. Myocarditis can progress to inflammatory cardiomyopathy when there is associated ventricular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction due to chronic inflammation. Symptoms can include shortness of bre ...
resulting from a viral infection. The album also contained their first US Top 10 hit (No. 7) in a decade, "One" (an Adult Contemporary No. 1). After the album's release, the band embarked on its first world tour in 10 years. In the UK, Polydor issued a single-disc hits collection from ''Tales'' called '' The Very Best of the Bee Gees'', which contained their biggest UK hits. The album became one of their best-selling albums in that country, and was eventually certified Triple Platinum. Following their next album, ''
High Civilization ''High Civilization'' is the nineteenth studio album by British-Australian pop group the Bee Gees, released on 25 March 1991 in the United Kingdom and 14 May 1991 in the United States. It was their third and final album Warner Bros. Records, foll ...
'' (1991), 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 addition, he had arthritis which, at one point, was so severe that it was doubtful that he would be able to play guitar for much longer. Also, in the early 1990s, Maurice Gibb finally sought treatment for his alcoholism, which he had battled for many years with the help of
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
. In 1993, the group returned to the Polydor label and released the album '' Size Isn't Everything'', which contained the UK top five hit "For Whom the Bell Tolls". Success still eluded them in the US, however, as the first single released, " Paying the Price of Love", only managed to reach No. 74 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while the parent album stalled at No. 153. In 1997, they released the album '' Still Waters'', which has reached No. 2 in the UK (their highest album chart position there since 1979) and No. 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. ''Still Waters'' was the band's most successful US release of their post-RSO era. At the 1997 BRIT Awards held in Earls Court, London on 24 February, the Bee Gees received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. On 14 November 1997, the Bee Gees performed a live concert in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
called '' One Night Only''. The show included a performance of "Our Love (Don't Throw It All Away)" synchronised with a vocal by their deceased brother Andy and a guest appearance by
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
singing "
Immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...
". The "One Night Only" name grew out of the band's declaration that, due to Barry's health issues, the Las Vegas show was to be the final live performance of their career. After the immensely positive audience response to the Vegas concert, Barry decided to continue despite the pain, and the concert expanded into their last full-blown world tour of "One Night Only" concerts. The tour included playing to 56,000 people at London's
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...
on 5 September 1998 and concluded in the newly built
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
in Sydney, Australia on 27 March 1999 to 72,000 people. During the ''One Night Only'' tour, the Bee Gees also finally gave live performances of '' Grease;'' though Barry previously wrote the song for the 1978 film of the same name, it was performed mainly by Frankie Valli. In 1998, the group's soundtrack 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. Also in 1998, the brothers released " Ellan Vannin" for Manx charities, recorded the previous year. Known as the unofficial national anthem of the Isle of Man, the brothers performed the song during their world tour to reflect their pride in the place of their birth. The Bee Gees closed the century with what turned out to be their last full-sized concert, known as ''BG2K'', on 31 December 1999.


2000–2008: ''This Is Where I Came In'', Maurice's death, and split

In 2001, the group released what turned out to be their final album of new material, '' This Is Where I Came In''. The album was another success, reaching the Top 10 in the UK (being certified Gold), and the Top 20 in the US. The title track was also a UK Top 20 hit single. They celebrated their 35th anniversary, and the album, by performing on the television series ''Live by Request'' on the American cable television network A&E. The last concert of the Bee Gees as a trio was at the ''Love and Hope Ball'' in 2002. Maurice Gibb died unexpectedly on 12 January 2003, at age 53, from a heart attack while awaiting emergency surgery to repair 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's name, leaving it to represent the three brothers together. The same week that Maurice died, Robin's solo album ''
Magnet A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
'' was released. On 23 February 2003, the Bee Gees received the Grammy Legend Award, they also became the first recipients of that award in the 21st century. Barry and Robin, along with Maurice's son Adam, accepted the award in a tearful ceremony. On 2 May 2004, Barry and Robin Gibb received the CBE award at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
; their nephew Adam accepted his father Maurice's posthumous award. 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 Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...
for her top-selling album '' Guilty Pleasures'', released as '' Guilty Too'' in the UK as a sequel album to the previous '' Guilty''. Also in 2004, Barry recorded his song "I Cannot Give You My Love" with
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...
, which became a UK top 20 hit single; Maurice's keyboard work from a 2001 demo version was included in this 2003 version. 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 Maurice's death. The pair also played at the 30th annual Prince's Trust Concert in the UK on 20 May 2006.


2009–2012: Return to performing and Robin's death

On 14 March 2009, Barry teamed with
Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...
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, 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, Barry and Robin were named as Freemen of the Borough of Douglas (Isle of Man); the award was also bestowed posthumously to Maurice. In late 2009, Barry and Robin announced plans to record and perform together once again as the Bee Gees. Barry and Robin performed on the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (commonly referred to as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly Ballroom dance, ballroom and Latin dance, Latin dance. Each couple is ...
'' on 31 October 2009 and appeared on ABC-TV's '' Dancing with the Stars'' on 17 November 2009. On 15 March 2010, Barry and Robin inducted the Swedish group
ABBA ABBA ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...
into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
. On 26 May 2010, the two made a surprise appearance on the ninth-season finale of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''. On 20 November 2011, it was announced that Robin, then aged 61, had been diagnosed with liver cancer, a condition he had become aware of several months earlier. He had become noticeably thinner in previous months and had to cancel several appearances due to severe abdominal pain. Robin joined British military trio the Soldiers for the Coming Home charity concert on 13 February 2012 at the London Palladium, in support of injured servicemen. It was his first public appearance for almost five months and, as it turned out, his final one. On 14 April 2012, it was reported that Robin had contracted
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
in a Chelsea hospital and was in a coma. Although he came out of his coma on 20 April 2012, his condition deteriorated rapidly and he died on 20 May 2012 of liver and kidney failure.


2013–present: Looking back at a lifetime of music

In September and October 2013, Barry performed his first solo tour "in honour of his brothers and a lifetime of music". In addition to the Rhino collection, ''The Studio Albums: 1967–1968'', Warner Bros. released a box set in 2014 called ''The Warner Bros Years: 1987–1991'' that included the studio albums ''E.S.P.'', ''One'' and ''High Civilization'' as well as extended mixes and B-sides. It also included the band's entire 1989 concert in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
, Australia, available only on video as ''All for One'' prior to this release. The documentary ''The Joy of the Bee Gees'' was aired on
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
on 19 December 2014. On 23 March 2015, 13STAR Records released a box set ''1974–1979'' which included the studio albums ''Mr. Natural'', ''Main Course'', ''Children of the World'' and ''Spirits Having Flown''. A fifth disc called ''The Miami Years'' includes all the tracks from ''Saturday Night Fever'' as well as B-sides. No unreleased tracks from the era were included. After a hiatus from performing, Barry Gibb returned to solo and guest singing performances. He occasionally appears with his son, Steve Gibb. In 2016, he released ''
In the Now IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...
'', his first solo effort since 1984's ''Now Voyager''. It was the first release of new Bee Gees-related music since the posthumous release of Robin Gibb's '' 50 St. Catherine's Drive''. Also in 2016,
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
signed a new distribution deal with Barry and the estates of his brothers for the Bee Gees catalogue, bringing their music back to Universal. In late 2020, a documentary titled '' The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart'' was released on HBO Max; it was received with positive reviews and won an Emmy award. A few months later, an as-yet-untitled biopic about the Bee Gees was announced to be in development at Paramount, with
Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh ( ; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Reading, Berkshire, Branagh trained at RADA in London and served as its president from 2015 to 2024. List of award ...
directing and Barry Gibb serving as an executive producer. Barry released his third solo studio album, '' Greenfields'', on 8 January 2021. It consisted of re-imagined Bee Gees songs from throughout their career, newly recorded in a primarily acoustic style with vocal contributions from a variety of country musicians including
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
, Keith Urban and
Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...
. The album debuted at No. 1 in both the UK and Australia – the latter of which set a record for the oldest artist to top the
ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
charts – while also peaking at No. 15 on the US
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
(and No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Album Sales chart) and being met with favourable reviews.


Musical style and influences

Throughout the band's career, it has explored styles that have been categorized as psychedelic pop,
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
, and
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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
. The Bee Gees were influenced by
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
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 and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...
, the Mills Brothers,
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
,
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
, Roy Orbison,
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
and
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...
. On the 2014 documentary ''The Joy of the Bee Gees'', Barry said that the Bee Gees were also influenced by the Hollies and Otis Redding. Maurice noted that
Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
was an early influence, and later the group was "very influenced" by Linda Creed songs for the Stylistics.


Legacy

In his 1980 ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' magazine interview,
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
praised the Bee Gees, "Try to tell the kids in the seventies who were screaming to the Bee Gees that their music was just the Beatles redone. There is nothing wrong with the Bee Gees. They do a damn good job. There was nothing else going on then." In a 2007 interview with Duane Hitchings, who co-wrote
Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...
's 1978 disco song " Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?", he noted that the song was Kevin Parker of Tame Impala has said that listening to the Bee Gees after taking
mushrooms A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...
inspired him to change the sound of the music he was making on his album '' Currents''. The English
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band the Cribs was also influenced by the Bee Gees. Cribs member Ryan Jarman said: "It must have had quite a big influence on us – pop melodies is something we always revert to. I always want to get back to pop melodies and I'm sure that's due to that Bee Gees phase we went through." Following Robin's death on 20 May 2012,
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
remarked: "The Bee Gees were an early inspiration for me, Kelly Rowland and Michelle. We loved their songwriting and beautiful harmonies. Recording their classic song, 'Emotion' was a special time for Destiny's Child. Sadly we lost Robin Gibb this week. My heart goes out to his brother Barry and the rest of his family." Singer
Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the American Idol (season 6), sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. He ...
remarked that her favourite Bee Gees songs are "Too Much Heaven", "Emotion" (although performed by Samantha Sang with Barry on the background vocals using his falsetto), and "Stayin' Alive". Carrie Underwood said, about discovering the Bee Gees during her childhood, "My parents listened to the Bee Gees quite a bit when I was little, so I was definitely exposed to them at an early age. They just had a sound that was all their own, obviously, never duplicated." The lasting influence of Bee Gees has been observed in the work of contemporary popular music acts such as
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
and
Of Montreal of Montreal is an American indie pop band from Athens, Georgia. It was founded by frontperson Kevin Barnes in 1996, named after a failed romance between Barnes and a woman "of Montreal". The band is identified as part of the Elephant 6 collec ...
. According to Bruce Eder of AllMusic, Bee Gees were "music's most successful brother act".


Songwriting

At one point, in 1978, the Gibb brothers were responsible for writing and/or performing nine of the songs in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In all, the Gibbs placed 13 singles onto the Hot 100 in 1978, with 12 making the Top 40. The Gibb brothers are fellows of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA). At least 2,500 artists have recorded their songs. Singer-songwriter
Gavin DeGraw Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album ''Chariot (album), Chariot'' (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB/The CW, ...
spoke about the Bee Gees' influence with their own music as well as their songwriting: In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, the Bee Gees were announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for their role as "Influential Artists".


Accolades and achievements

In 1978, following the success of ''Saturday Night Fever'', and the single "Night Fever" in particular, Reubin Askew, the
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of the US state of Florida, named the Bee Gees honorary citizens of the state, since they resided in Miami at the time. In 1979, the Bee Gees got their star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...
. They were the subjects of '' This Is Your Life'' in 1991 when they were surprised by Michael Aspel while being interviewed by disc jockey Steve Wright (DJ) on his Radio 1 programme at BBC Broadcasting House. The Bee Gees were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, Florida's Artists Hall of Fame in 1995 and the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1997. Also in 1997, the group were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
; the presenter of the award to " Britain's First Family of Harmony" was
Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...
, historical leader of
the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...
, another "family act" featuring three harmonising brothers. In 2001, they were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. After Maurice's death, the Bee Gees were also inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2001, They were made
Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...
fellows and inducted into London's Walk of Fame in 2006 and the Musically Speaking Hall Of Fame in 2008. On 15 May 2007, the Bee Gees were named BMI Icons at the 55th annual BMI Pop Awards. Collectively, Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb have earned 109 BMI Pop, Country and Latin Awards. In October 1999, the Isle of Man Post Office unveiled a set of six stamps honouring the Bee Gees. In the 2002 New Year's Honours, announced on 31 December 2001, all three brothers were appointed as Commanders of the
Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(CBE). By the time of the investiture ceremony at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
on 27 May 2004 Maurice had died, and he was represented at the ceremony by his son Adam. On 10 July 2009, the Isle of Man's capital bestowed the Freedom of the Borough of Douglas honour on Barry and Robin, as well as posthumously on Maurice. On 20 November 2009, the Douglas Borough Council released a limited edition commemorative DVD to mark their naming as Freemen of the Borough. On 14 February 2013, Barry Gibb unveiled a statue of the Bee Gees as well as unveiling "Bee Gees Way" (a walkway filled with photos and videos of the Bee Gees) in honour of the Bee Gees in Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia. On 27 June 2018, Barry Gibb, the last surviving member of the Bee Gees, was knighted by Prince Charles after being named on the Queen's New Year's Honours List. The statue of the Bee Gees in Douglas, Isle of Man, was installed in 2021. In 2022, Barry Gibb was made an Honorary Companion of the
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
which is Australia's highest national honour. In 2023, Barry Gibb became a Kennedy Center Honoree for contributions to American culture and for being a "pop music pioneer", as well as being inducted along with his brothers into the Australian Songwriters Association Hall of Fame. The Bee Gees have sold over 250 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling artists of all time. The group are to date the most successful family and sibling band of all time, the most successful musical trio of all time, and the most successful musical act with ties to Australia.


Awards and nominations


Queensland Music Awards

The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006. (wins only) , - ,
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
, Bee Gees , Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award ,


Members

Principal members *
Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger fraternal twin brothers, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, he rose to global fame as a member ...
– vocals, rhythm guitar (1958–2003, 2006, 2009–2012) * Robin Gibb – vocals, occasional keyboards (1958–1969, 1970–2003, 2006, 2009–2012; his death) *
Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He achieved global fame as a member of the Bee Gees pop group. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb wer ...
– bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals (1958–2003; his death) *
Colin Petersen Frederick Colin Petersen (24 March 1946 – 18 November 2024) was an Australian musician and 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 was replaced ...
– drums (1967–1969; died 2024) * Vince Melouney – guitars (1967–1968, 1999); vocals, harmonica (1968) * Geoff Bridgford – drums (1971–1972; touring 1970–1971) Touring musicians * Lesley Gibb – vocals (1969) * Alan Kendall – lead guitar (1971–1981, 1989–2003) * Chris Karan – drums (1972) * Dennis Bryon – drums (1973–1981; died 2024) * Geoff Westley – keyboards, piano (1973–1976) * Blue Weaver – keyboards, synthesizers (1975–1981) * Joe Lala – percussion (1976, 1979; died 2014) * Joey Murcia – rhythm guitar (1976, 1979) * Harold Cowart – bass (1979) * Tim Cansfield – rhythm and lead guitar (1989, 1997–2001) * Vic Martin – keyboards, synthesizers (1989) * Gary Moberly – keyboards, synthesizers (1989) * George Perry – bass (1989–1993) * Chester Thompson – drums (1989) * Mike Murphy – drums (1989; died 2006) * Trevor Murrell – drums (1991–1992) * Rudi Dobson – keyboards (1991–1992) * Scott F. Crago – drums * Matt Bonelli – bass (1993–2001; died 2024) * Steve Rucker – drums (1993–2001) * Ben Stivers – keyboards (1996–1999) * Stephen Gibb – rhythm guitar (1997) Guest musicians (studio and touring) *
Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...
– drums * Lenny Castro – percussion * Glenn Frey – guitar (died 2016) * Timothy B. Schmit – bass guitar * Joe Walsh – lead guitar * Don Felder – lead guitar (1981) * Jeff Porcaro – drums (died 1992) * Mike Porcaro – bass guitar (died 2015) * Steve Porcaro – keyboards * Steve Lukather – guitar * David Hungate – bass guitar * David Paich – keyboards * Greg Phillinganes – keyboards * Bobby Kimball – keyboards * Leland Sklar – bass guitar *
Reb Beach Richard Earl "Reb" Beach Jr. (born August 31, 1963) is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake. Career After graduating from Fox Chapel Area High School and attending Berklee College of Music in the ea ...
– lead guitar * Gregg Bissonette – drums * Ricky Lawson – drums (died 2013) * Scott F. Crago – drums * Steve Gadd – drums * Steve Ferrone – drums * Steve Jordan – drums *
Nathan East Nathan Harrell East (born December 8, 1955) is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts ...
– bass guitar * Steuart Smith – lead guitar *
Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer known for his technical mastery who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drumme ...
– drums


Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1958 till:20/05/2012 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1958 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1958 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Guitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:Lead value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:lines value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars BarData = bar:Barry text:"Barry Gibb" bar:Robin text:"Robin Gibb" bar:Maurice text:"Maurice Gibb" bar:Vince text:"Vince Melouney" bar:Colin text:"Colin Petersen" bar:Geoff text:"Geoff Bridgford" PlotData= width:11 bar:Barry from:start till:01/12/1969 color:vocals bar:Barry from:start till:01/12/1969 color:guitar width:3 bar:Barry from:21/08/1970 till:12/01/2003 color:vocals bar:Barry from:21/08/1970 till:12/01/2003 color:guitar width:3 bar:Barry from:01/01/2009 till:end color:vocals bar:Barry from:01/01/2009 till:end color:guitar width:3 bar:Robin from:start till:01/05/1969 color:vocals bar:Robin from:21/08/1970 till:12/01/2003 color:vocals bar:Robin from:21/08/1970 till:01/01/1971 color:keys width:3 bar:Robin from:01/01/1964 till:01/05/1969 color:keys width:3 bar:Robin from:01/01/2009 till:end color:vocals bar:Maurice from:start till:01/12/1969 color:vocals bar:Maurice from:01/01/1964 till:01/12/1969 color:keys width:3 bar:Maurice from:01/01/1964 till:01/01/1966 color:lead width:7 bar:Maurice from:01/01/1966 till:01/12/1969 color:bass width:7 bar:Maurice from:21/08/1970 till:12/01/2003 color:vocals bar:Maurice from:21/08/1970 till:01/01/1979 color:bass width:3 bar:Maurice from:21/08/1970 till:01/01/1975 color:keys width:7 bar:Maurice from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1981 color:guitar width:3 bar:Maurice from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1986 color:bass width:7 bar:Maurice from:01/01/1986 till:12/01/2003 color:guitar width:7 bar:Maurice from:01/01/1981 till:12/01/2003 color:keys width:3 bar:Colin from:01/01/1967 till:01/08/1969 color:drums bar:Vince from:01/01/1967 till:01/12/1968 color:lead bar:Vince from:01/01/1968 till:15/09/1968 color:vocals width:3 bar:Geoff from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1972 color:drums LineData = at:01/11/1965 color:black layer:back at:01/11/1966 color:black layer:back at:14/07/1967 color:black layer:back at:01/02/1968 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1968 color:black layer:back at:30/03/1969 color:black layer:back at:01/04/1970 color:black layer:back at:01/11/1970 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1971 color:black layer:back at:01/10/1972 color:black layer:back at:19/01/1973 color:black layer:back at:15/06/1974 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1975 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1976 color:black layer:back at:05/02/1979 color:black layer:back at:01/10/1981 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1985 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1987 color:black layer:back at:17/04/1989 color:black layer:back at:25/03/1991 color:black layer:back at:13/09/1993 color:black layer:back at:10/03/1997 color:black layer:back at:24/04/2001 color:black layer:back


Timeline of touring members

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:25 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:80 top:10 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1958 till:20/05/2012 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1958 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1958 Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:Lead value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:Rhythm value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards id:Percussion value:claret legend:Percussion id:lines value:black legend:Studio_album id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars BarData = bar:Lesley text:"Lesley Gibb" bar:Alan text:"Alan Kendall" bar:Joey text:"Joey Murcia" bar:Tim text:"Tim Cansfield" bar:Stephen text:"Stephen Gibb" bar:Harold text:"Harold Cowart" bar:George text:"George Perry" bar:Matt text:"Matt Bonelli" bar:GeoffW text:"Geoff Westley" bar:Blue text:"Blue Weaver" bar:Vic text:"Vic Martin" bar:Gary text:"Gary Moberly" bar:Rudi text:"Rudi Dobson" bar:Ben text:"Ben Stivers" bar:GeoffB text:"Geoff Bridgford" bar:Chris text:"Chris Karan" bar:Dennis text:"Dennis Bryon" bar:Chester text:"Chester Thompson" bar:Mike text:"Mike Murphy" bar:Trevor text:"Trevor Murrell" bar:Steve text:"Steve Rucker" bar:Joe text:"Joe Lala" PlotData= width:11 bar:Lesley from:01/05/1969 till:31/05/1969 color:vocals bar:GeoffB from:21/08/1970 till:01/01/1971 color:drums bar:GeoffW from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1975 color:keys bar:Alan from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1981 color:lead bar:Alan from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/2003 color:lead bar:Alan from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1981 color:lead bar:Dennis from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1981 color:drums bar:Blue from:01/01/1975 till:01/01/1981 color:keys bar:Chris from:01/01/1972 till:01/01/1973 color:drums bar:Joe from:20/12/1976 till:20/12/1976 color:percussion bar:Joe from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:percussion bar:Stephen from:01/01/1997 till:01/12/1997 color:lead bar:Harold from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:bass bar:Tim from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:lead bar:Vic from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:keys bar:Gary from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:keys bar:George from:01/01/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:bass bar:Chester from:01/01/1989 till:31/07/1989 color:drums bar:Rudi from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1992 color:keys bar:Ben from:01/06/1996 till:01/01/2000 color:keys bar:Matt from:01/06/1996 till:01/01/2000 color:bass bar:Trevor from:01/01/1991 till:01/01/1992 color:drums bar:Steve from:01/06/1996 till:01/01/2000 color:drums bar:Joey from:20/12/1976 till:20/12/1976 color:rhythm bar:Joey from:01/01/1979 till:01/01/1980 color:rhythm bar:Mike from:31/07/1989 till:01/01/1990 color:drums LineData = at:01/11/1965 color:black layer:back at:01/11/1966 color:black layer:back at:14/07/1967 color:black layer:back at:01/02/1968 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1968 color:black layer:back at:30/03/1969 color:black layer:back at:01/04/1970 color:black layer:back at:01/11/1970 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1971 color:black layer:back at:01/10/1972 color:black layer:back at:19/01/1973 color:black layer:back at:15/06/1974 color:black layer:back at:01/06/1975 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1976 color:black layer:back at:05/02/1979 color:black layer:back at:01/10/1981 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1985 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1987 color:black layer:back at:17/04/1989 color:black layer:back at:25/03/1991 color:black layer:back at:13/09/1993 color:black layer:back at:10/03/1997 color:black layer:back at:24/04/2001 color:black layer:back


Discography

Soundtracks '' Saturday Night Fever'' (1977) and '' Staying Alive'' (1983) are not official Bee Gees albums, but contain some previously unreleased tracks. Apart from live and compilation, all their official albums are included on this list. '' A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants'' has not been included on the list because it appeared only on numerous bootlegs and was not officially released.


Studio albums

* '' The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs'' (1965) * '' Spicks and Specks'' (1966) * '' Bee Gees' 1st'' (1967) * '' Horizontal'' (1968) * ''
Idea In philosophy and in common usage, an idea (from the Greek word: ἰδέα (idea), meaning 'a form, or a pattern') is the results of thought. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophe ...
'' (1968) * ''
Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
'' (1969) * ''
Cucumber Castle ''Cucumber Castle'' is the seventh studio album by the Bee Gees, released in April 1970. It was produced by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, and Robert Stigwood. It consists of songs from their television special of Cucumber Castle (film), the same na ...
'' (1970) * '' 2 Years On'' (1970) * '' Trafalgar'' (1971) * '' To Whom It May Concern'' (1972) * ''
Life in a Tin Can ''Life in a Tin Can'' is the Bee Gees' eleventh studio album (ninth worldwide), released in January 1973 in the US and on 1 March 1973 in the UK. Background The Bee Gees travelled to Los Angeles to record ''Life in a Tin Can''. However, it was ...
'' (1973) * '' Mr. Natural'' (1974) * ''
Main Course A main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée () course. Usage In the United States and Canada (except Quebec), the main course is traditionally called an "entrée". En ...
'' (1975) * '' Children of the World'' (1976) * '' Spirits Having Flown'' (1979) * '' Living Eyes'' (1981) * '' E.S.P.'' (1987) * ''
One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
'' (1989) * ''
High Civilization ''High Civilization'' is the nineteenth studio album by British-Australian pop group the Bee Gees, released on 25 March 1991 in the United Kingdom and 14 May 1991 in the United States. It was their third and final album Warner Bros. Records, foll ...
'' (1991) * '' Size Isn't Everything'' (1993) * '' Still Waters'' (1997) * '' This Is Where I Came In'' (2001)


Concert tours

* The Bee Gees' concerts in 1967 and 1968 (1967–1968) * 2 Years On Tour (1971) * Trafalgar Tour (1972) * Mr. Natural Tour (1974) * Main Course Tour (1975) * Children of the World Tour (1976) * Spirits Having Flown Tour (1979) * One for All World Tour (1989) * High Civilization World Tour (1991) * One Night Only World Tour (1997–1999) * This Is Where I Came In (2001)


Filmography


References


Further reading

* . * Stanley, Bob. ''Bee Gees: Children of the World''. Nine Eight Books, 2023.


External links

* * * *
Bee Gees
at ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
''
Bee Gees' Vocal Group Hall of Fame webpage

Bee Gees at bmi.com

Robin Gibb sadly passes away after losing his battle with cancer
* {{Authority control 1958 establishments in Australia Australian pop rock groups Australian disco musicians English pop rock music groups ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Atlantic Records artists Barry Gibb Brit Award winners English disco groups English soft rock music groups British soul musical groups Brunswick Records artists Capitol Records artists Child musical groups English expatriate musicians in the United States English expatriates in Australia English musical trios English pop music groups English rock music groups Grammy Legend Award winners Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Mercury Records artists Manx musical groups Maurice Gibb Musical groups established in 1958 Musical groups disestablished in 2003 Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Musical groups disestablished in 2012 Musical groups from Manchester Queensland musical groups Philips Records artists Robin Gibb RSO Records artists Sibling musical trios UNICEF goodwill ambassadors United Artists Records artists Warner Records artists World Music Awards winners