47 Fun Facts About Bee Gees

Where were the three Gibb brothers born?

The Isle of Man was their birthplace, in Douglas, but in 1955 the family returned to their father's home town of Manchester.

Which 1960s pop star married Maurice Gibb in 1969?

Lulu married Maurice in 1969, but his heavy drinking broke up the marriage within four years.

What forced the young Gibbs to sing live at a Manchester cinema?

The record they'd mime to broke, the story goes, and the crowd's warm response left the boys set on a life of singing.

In which Queensland town did the Gibb family settle after emigrating in 1958?

Redcliffe's speedway gave the boys an early stage, where they performed for the crowds between races to earn pocket money.

Who first called the young Gibb brothers the 'BGs'?

A Brisbane radio DJ, Bill Gates, chose the name after initials he shared with driver Bill Goode and Barry Gibb.

Which 1966 song became the group's first major hit in Australia?

Go-Set named it Best Single of the Year while the brothers were already at sea, sailing back to England.

In the Bee Gees' 1968 UK number one 'I've Gotta Get a Message to You', what fate awaits the singer?

Execution awaits him: he is a condemned murderer on death row, desperate to get a last message to the woman he loves.

Which trick helped launch 'New York Mining Disaster 1941'?

It was sent to DJs on a blank white label hinting at an English group whose name began with B, so many took it for the Beatles.

Which soul singer did the Gibbs hope would record 'To Love Somebody'?

Otis Redding was the singer they had in mind, but he died in December 1967 without recording it, and Barry's own lead on the Bee Gees' single stood.

Which song gave the Bee Gees their first UK number one in 1967?

Massachusetts was written on a New York trip by brothers who had never been to the state.

Which Australian folk group was the Bee Gees' first UK number one originally intended for?

The Seekers never got the song: the brothers couldn't get it to them in London, so they recorded it themselves.

Which disaster did Robin Gibb commemorate in a requiem he composed with his son RJ?

The Titanic Requiem premiered in London in April 2012 for the centenary of the sinking, but Robin was too ill to attend and died that May.

Which Bee Gees song's melody came to Robin from the drone of an aeroplane's engines?

I Started a Joke grew from a drone that sounded to Robin like a church choir; he joked they forced the pilot to land to finish it, then admitted they hadn't.

Which 1969 Bee Gees double album came in a red flocked cover stamped in gold?

Odessa's first single sparked a row between Barry and Robin, and in March 1969 Robin announced he was going solo.

Which Robin-led song lost out to Barry's 'First of May' as a single, before Robin quit the group?

Lamplight became the B-side, Robin walked out, and Barry and Maurice made the next album, Cucumber Castle, without him.

Which song was the reunited Bee Gees' first single, released in 1970?

Lonely Days was written in a single afternoon in Barry's London basement flat, along with the song that became their first US number one.

Which 1971 single was the Bee Gees' first US number one?

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart topped the US chart in 1971, yet it failed even to chart in the UK.

Which Atlantic Records producer did Stigwood pair the Bee Gees with for Mr. Natural?

Arif Mardin stuck with them even after Mr. Natural drew little interest, urging them further into soul.

Whose suggestion, as Barry tells it, sent the Bee Gees to Miami's Criteria Studios in 1975?

Eric Clapton's advice followed his own album 461 Ocean Boulevard, made at Criteria, though Maurice recalled Stigwood suggesting Miami first.

Which Bee Gees hit took its rhythm from their car crossing Biscayne Bay?

Jive Talkin' began as Drive Talking, until Barry sang 'jive talkin'' over the rhythm and the new title stuck.

Which 1975 album contained the first Bee Gees songs on which Barry sang falsetto?

Main Course was where Barry found his falsetto: he recalled their producer asking whether he could scream in tune on 'Nights on Broadway'.

Which CSNY member, at Criteria making Long May You Run, added percussion to 'You Should Be Dancing'?

Stephen Stills also wrote a song with Barry Gibb around that time, but it has never been released.

Where were the Bee Gees recording when Stigwood asked them for songs for Saturday Night Fever?

A château studio in France was their base; Stigwood also wanted a song called Saturday Night, but they refused because too many songs already had that title.

With their drummer away, what did the Bee Gees use for the beat of 'Stayin' Alive'?

A loop from Night Fever was only a stopgap while the drummer was away, but they kept it, and the song opened the film under Travolta's strut.

Which singer took the Gibb-penned 'If I Can't Have You' to US number one in 1978?

Yvonne Elliman was handed the song by Stigwood although the Bee Gees had recorded it first, and their version became the B-side of 'Stayin' Alive'.

Which group recorded the other version of 'More Than a Woman' on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack?

Tavares had the single, while the Bee Gees only finished their own version months later in Los Angeles, for the soundtrack album.

Saturday Night Fever won which Grammy?

Album of the Year crowned the soundtrack, but within months a backlash against disco had turned on the Bee Gees.

Which ballad was the first single from Saturday Night Fever?

How Deep Is Your Love later put the brothers in court, where a 1983 jury found they had copied an unknown writer's song before the judge threw the verdict out.

Which singer recorded Barry Gibb's title song for the 1978 film Grease?

Frankie Valli had no record contract when it hit, and quickly landed a Warner Bros deal.

Which rock star co-starred with the Bee Gees in Stigwood's 1978 Sgt Pepper film?

Peter Frampton played Billy Shears, but the soundtrack flopped so badly that millions of copies came back and RSO destroyed hundreds of thousands.

Which Bee Gees hit got its explosion sound from Barry blowing into a microphone?

Tragedy's blast was no stock sound effect: the studio team mixed and processed Barry's breath until it boomed like dynamite.

Whose seven straight US number ones broke the Bee Gees' record?

Whitney Houston sealed it with a ballad she at first refused to sing, until Clive Davis persuaded her.

For which 1980 Barbra Streisand album did Barry write or co-write every track?

Guilty nearly didn't happen, because Barry was scared to work with Streisand until Neil Diamond reassured him by phone.

Which 1981 album was the first CD ever played in public, on BBC's Tomorrow's World?

Living Eyes was on the disc presenter Kieran Prendiville scratched with a stone to show off its toughness before playing it.

Which 1982 Dionne Warwick hit was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb?

Heartbreaker didn't feel right to Warwick at first, but she recorded it anyway, with Barry singing on the chorus.

Which Bee Gees-written duet gave Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton a US number one in 1983?

Islands in the Stream was first conceived as an R&B ballad, but the brothers reworked it into the country duet.

Which Bee Gees-written Diana Ross single topped the UK chart in 1986?

Chain Reaction was held back at first, for fear that its Motown sound was too close to Ross's past.

Where did the Bee Gees' 1987 single 'You Win Again' struggle, even as it topped the UK chart?

The US held out, perhaps because of the lingering disco backlash.

Under which name did Barry Gibb and David English build a cricket-themed project of songs and cartoons?

The Bunburys name lived on in David English's celebrity cricket team, which has raised millions of pounds for charity.

Which song on the 1989 album One was dedicated to their late brother Andy?

Andy had died in 1988 of myocarditis, days after turning 30.

What did Andy Gibb's first three singles released outside Australia all achieve?

Reached US number one, all three, and the second knocked his own brothers' 'Stayin' Alive' off the top of the chart.

Why did the Bee Gees bill their 1997 concerts as 'One Night Only' shows?

Barry's health ruled out touring, yet the Las Vegas show went so well that more followed, including London's Wembley Stadium in 1998.

Which singer guested on 'Immortality' at the Bee Gees' 1997 One Night Only concert in Las Vegas?

Celine Dion joined them live, and in the same show the brothers sang along with a recording of their late brother Andy.

What was the title of the Bee Gees' final album of new material, released in 2001?

This Is Where I Came In became the last because Maurice Gibb died suddenly less than two years after its release.

Which group did Barry and Robin Gibb induct into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010?

ABBA were represented on the night by only two of their four members, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who collected the award.

Why do CPR courses use the Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive'?

Its tempo matches the right compression rate, and since any song at that speed works, one hospital built a whole playlist of same-tempo songs for CPR.

At which festival did Barry Gibb play the 'legend slot' in 2017?

Glastonbury had booked him for 2016, but he pulled out when a family member fell ill and joined Coldplay on stage instead.