Robin Gibb – one third of the seminal disco outfit the Bee Gees – has died of cancer at age 62.
Formed with his late twin brother Maurice and elder brother Barry, the Bee Gees garnered a place in musical history with their distinctive falsetto harmonies and disco classics like “Staying Alive”, “How Deep is Your Love” and “Emotion”. The group has sold upwards of 200 million records, penned hit tracks for artist like Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand, Yvonne Elliman, and Olivia Newton-John, and seen thousands of others recording version of their music throughout the past four decades. Their soundtrack for the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever defined a moment in musical history and is often credited with turning disco into a global phenomenon.
Today the music industry pays tribute to the man broadcaster Paul Gambaccini called “talented beyond even his own understanding”. He went on: “Everyone should be aware that the Bee Gees are second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music.”
A life in music:
22 December 1949 – Born on the Isle of Man to a band leader father and former-singer mother who encourage their sons to perform.
1958 – Robin and his family move to Australia, where he and his brothers adopt the stage-name the Bee Gees (an abbreviation of Brothers Gibb).
1963 – The Bee Gees are signed to Festival Records Australian subsidiary Leedon Records.
1967 – The Bee Gees introduced to the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein and are soon signed with Polydor Records. Robert Stigwood calls them “The Most Significant Band of 1967”.
1969 – Robin quits the group amidst difficulties with his brother Barry.
1970 – Robin rejoins the group and The Bee Gees enjoy US success with “Lonely Days” and “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” (later covered by Al Green).
1977 – A turning point in the band’s career: the Bee Gees compose and perform the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, bringing “disco craze” to the mainstream and skyrocketing the band to international success. Tracks such as “Staying Alive”, “How Deep is Your Love” and “Night Fever” reach Number 1 in countries worldwide.
1983 – Robin releases a solo album, several more to follow throughout the decades.
1997 – The Bee Gees receive the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.
2000 – The Bee Gees receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.
2009 – Robin tops the charts again with the Comic Relief version of “Islands in the Stream”, a collaboration with Ruth Jones, Rob Brydon and Tom Jones.
(How Deep is Your Love, 1977)
(Staying Alive, 1977)
(John Travolta dances to “More Than a Woman” in Saturday Night Fever)
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