Barry Gibb
Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb AC CBE (born 1 September 1946[6][7]) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Along with his younger brothers, Robin and Maurice, he rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popular music. Well known for his wide vocal range, Gibb's most notable trait is a far-reaching high-pitched falsetto. Gibb's career has spanned over 60 years.
Barry Gibb
Johnny Hayes
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
1955–present
-
Maureen Bates(m. 1966; div. 1970)
-
Linda Gray(m. 1970)
5, including Steve
- Hugh Gibb (father)
- Maurice Gibb (brother)
- Robin Gibb (brother)
- Andy Gibb (brother)
Manchester, England[1]
- Vocals
- guitar
As a songwriter, he shares with John Lennon and Paul McCartney the record for most consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number ones, each having six. In total, he has written or co-written sixteen Billboard Hot 100 number ones.
In 1994, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame with his brothers. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the Bee Gees.[8] In 2007, Q magazine ranked him number 38 on its list of the "100 Greatest Singers".[9] Guinness World Records lists him as the second most successful songwriter in history, behind McCartney.[10]
Gibb was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours for services to music and entertainment, and a Knight Bachelor in the 2018 New Year Honours for services to music and charity.[11][12][13] He was also made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia on 27 January 2022.[14]
Personal life[edit]
Gibb's first marriage was to Maureen Bates, whom he married on 22 August 1966 when he was 19 years old. The couple lived together for only a short time and were divorced in July 1970.[111]
During the taping of the BBC's Top of the Pops in London, Gibb met the former Miss Edinburgh, Linda Gray. On 1 September 1970 (his 24th birthday), they were married. Together, they have five children – Stephen (born 1973), Ashley (born 1977), Travis (born 1981), Michael (born 1984) and Alexandra (born 1991)[19] – and seven grandchildren.[112]
In his 11 July 2014 interview with The Mirror, Gibb said he became friends with Michael Jackson: "He would come to Miami and stay in our house. He'd sit in the kitchen and watch the fans outside his hotel on TV, just giggling – 'Hee hee!' He lived upstairs for a while, right before his child-molestation trial. We never discussed the case. We would just sit around and write and get drunk. Michael liked wine – there were a few nights when he just went to sleep on the floor", adding that he misses Jackson.[99]
Gibb owns a home in the UK, but has lived primarily in Miami since 1974.[113] In January 2006, Gibb purchased the former home of the late country singers Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in Hendersonville, Tennessee, US intending to restore it and turn it into a songwriting retreat.[114] The house was destroyed by fire on 10 April 2007 while under renovation, and a new house was built.[115]The property was sold in 2014[116]
On 10 July 2009, Gibb was made a Freeman of the Borough of Douglas (Isle of Man). The award was also bestowed upon his brother Robin and posthumously upon his brother Maurice.[83] Also in 2009, Gibb and his wife became U.S. citizens, while retaining their UK citizenship.[117]
Influences[edit]
Gibb's influences when he was in the Rattlesnakes were Tommy Steele,[118] the Mills Brothers,[119][120] the Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, and Cliff Richard.[19] The Bee Gees acknowledged that they would sing in the style of the Everlys and then add a third harmony; the result was "New York Mining Disaster 1941" (1967). When Gibb heard Roy Orbison's song "Crying", he said: "That was it. To me that was the voice of God."[121]
Gibb also praises the vocal skills of Frankie Valli as one of his influences: "Frankie Valli has become one of the hallmark voices of our generation. He created a style that we all still strive to emulate."[122] Gibb was also influenced by country music as his songs on the 1970 unreleased The Kid's No Good show: "Country music always inspired us. I love Nashville and I love this music. Since my brothers passed, I've been able to be self-indulgent. I've been able to go where I love the music".[123]
Legacy[edit]
In 2007 Gibb was ranked by Q magazine at No. 38 on its list of '100 Greatest Singers'.[124]
Gibb had a highly successful career as a member of the Bee Gees, a group near the top of the all-time top-sellers list. When the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, their citation read 'Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees.'[125] The trio's contribution to Saturday Night Fever pushed the film's soundtrack past the 50 million mark in sales. It reigned as the top-selling album until Michael Jackson's Thriller. They are the only group in pop history to write, produce and record six straight No. 1 hits. They have also had 16 Grammy nominations and nine Grammy wins.
The three Gibb brothers were appointed Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2002. On 2 May 2004, Barry and Robin received their awards at Buckingham Palace, along with their nephew Adam, who collected the award on behalf of his father Maurice, who had died in January 2003.[77]
Gibb was also awarded a knighthood in the 2018 New Year Honours. He was also made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia on 27 January 2022 in the 2022 Special Honours for eminent service to the performing arts as a musician, songwriter and record producer, to the advancement of Australian music artists and to philanthropy.[126] In 2023, He became a Kennedy Center Honoree for contributions to American culture & for being a "pop music pioneer".[14]
Gibb is also a prolific and successful songwriter and a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[8] In 1977, Gibb saw five of his songs simultaneously enter the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and, for one week in March, four of the top five songs were written by him. His songs were No. 1 for 27 out of 37 weeks from 24 December 1977 to 2 September 1978. Gibb also holds a very unusual record, in that he is the only songwriter in history to write four successive US No. 1 hits: in 1978, the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" was replaced at number one by Andy's single, "Love Is Thicker Than Water", followed by the Bee Gees' "Night Fever" for their longest run, seven weeks. This was then replaced by the Bee Gee's "If I Can't Have You", recorded by Yvonne Elliman. He is the only male artist to have 10 songs on the 600 biggest songs of the Hot 100 Billboard in its history, having co-written, co-produced or performed them.[127]
As a songwriter, Gibb has had No. 1 songs in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, when "Islands in the Stream" became No. 1 in the UK as the Comic Relief single for 2009. His compositions for the Bee Gees have been recorded by numerous artists, including José Feliciano, Celine Dion, Al Green, Wyclef Jean, Janis Joplin, Jimmy Little, Barry Manilow, Olivia Newton-John, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, Diana Ross, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Samantha Sang, Tina Turner, Conway Twitty, Frankie Valli, Luther Vandross, Sarah Vaughan, Jennifer Warnes, Dionne Warwick and Andy Williams. Australian musician David Campbell, praising Gibb, compared the Beach Boys and the Bee Gees: 'And like Brian Wilson, Barry Gibb's melodies made the songs timeless.'[128]
Gibb's solo songs have been recorded by number of artists, including Lou Reizner, Samantha Sang, P. P. Arnold, Ronnie Burns, Jerry Vale and many others.[129] As a record producer, Gibb produced albums for Andy Gibb, Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, and Diana Ross.