The Gee Bees
The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio achieved significant success in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later became prominent performers in the disco era of the mid-to-late 1970s. The group was known for their three-part harmonies,… Read moreShow less
The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio achieved significant success in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later became prominent performers in the disco era of the mid-to-late 1970s. The group was known for their three-part harmonies, with Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals featured on earlier hits and Barry's R&B falsetto becoming a defining element of their sound in the mid-to-late 1970s and 1980s. They wrote and produced their own material, as well as songs for other artists, and are regarded as influential figures in pop music history. They have been referred to as The Disco Kings, Britain's First Family of Harmony, and The Kings of Dance Music. Born on the Isle of Man to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived in Chorlton, Manchester, England, until the late 1950s, where they formed the skiffle and rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes in 1955. The family later moved to Redcliffe and Cribb Island in Queensland, Australia. After achieving initial chart success in Australia as the Bee Gees, they returned to the UK in January 1967, when producer Robert Stigwood promoted them to a worldwide audience. The Bee Gees' soundtrack for the film "Saturday Night Fever" (1977) marked a turning point in their career, influencing the mainstream appeal of disco music. The album won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The Bee Gees have sold an estimated 120 million to 250 million records worldwide, placing them among the best-selling music artists of all time and the most successful trio in contemporary music history. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, with the Hall noting that only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Paul McCartney had outsold the Bee Gees at that time. With nine number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the Bee Gees are the third-most successful band in Billboard chart history, behind the Beatles and the Supremes. Following Maurice's sudden death in 2003 at age 53, Barry and Robin retired from the group after 45 years. In 2009, Robin announced that he and Barry had agreed to re-form the Bee Gees, but Robin died in 2012 at age 62. Colin Petersen, a former member, died in 2024 at age 78, leaving Barry, Vince Melouney, and Geoff Bridgford as the surviving members. Studio albums The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs (1965) Spicks and Specks (1966) Bee Gees' 1st (1967) Horizontal (1968) Idea (1968) Odessa (1969) Cucumber Castle (1970) 2 Years On (1970) Trafalgar (1971) To Whom It May Concern (1972) Life in a Tin Can (1973) Mr. Natural (1974) Main Course (1975) Children of the World (1976) Spirits Having Flown (1979) Living Eyes (1981) E.S.P. (1987) One (1989) High Civilization (1991) Size Isn't Everything (1993) Still Waters (1997) This Is Where I Came In (2001)