The Bee Gees were a British singing group consisting of three brothers: Barry Gibb and twins Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb. Not only were they successful in their own right, with seven Grammys to their name, their body of work has been re-interpreted by a huge variety of other artists, from Elvis and Dolly Parton to Billy Corgan and Feist. Of their 35 albums, 200 million copies have been sold, and most have hit the UK and US charts.
Though they were born on the Isle of Man, they had emigrated to Australia by the time Robin and Maurice were nine years old, in 1958. Even from a young age the brothers were singing together in harmony. By 1960 they were singing on television shows and in 1963 they secured a record deal. Barry Gibb and the Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs was released in 1965 and proved to be a minor success, with "Spicks and Specks" hitting No.1 in Australia.
In 1966 they returned to Britain, intending to capitalize on the burgeoning music scene of the time. By the following year they were on Top of the Pops having released Bee Gees First and finding success with the singles "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "Holiday" and "To Love Somebody". Within a year they had released three albums and had six hit singles, but the release of their two disc Odessa was a stress too far for the brothers and they split for 15 months.
In 1971, the reunited Bee Gees had a US No.1 with "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?", and then "Run to Me" was a UK Top 10 hit. But soon the band felt themselves stuck in a rut, unsure of which direction to take next. They moved to the United States and tried soul music, and then got interested in the burgeoning disco scene. Main Course (1975) was a minor hit, and "Jive Talkin'" topped the Hot 100, encouraging the Bee Gees that disco was the way to go. "You Should Be Dancing" was another chart-topper as Children of the World (1976) further established the Bee Gees pop-disco credentials.
Their fame went through the roof when they were heavily featured on the Saturday Night Fever (1977) soundtrack. Three of the Bee Gees' songs from it all went to No.1 in the US, and the film itself was a huge hit. The album sold over 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the biggest-selling LPs ever, but the decline of the disco era marked a similar decline in the fortunes of the Bee Gees, though they were by no means 'washed-up'. They continued to release albums into the 80s and 90s and they also wrote and produced songs for other artists.
Their last album was This Is Where I Came In (2001). Two years later, Maurice died and the spirit of the group died with him, despite initial protestations that they would soldier on without him. Since then, Barry and Robin have continued to work independently, and with other artists.
