50 Fun Facts About Bee Gees

Where were the three Gibb brothers born?

The family moved to Manchester in 1955 and emigrated to Australia in 1958.

What was the name of the brothers' first group, formed in Manchester in 1955?

Barry played guitar while friends handled drums and a tea-chest bass.

What forced the brothers to sing live at a Manchester cinema in 1957, per the story?

They had planned to lip-sync but the shellac disc shattered as they ran to the theatre.

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

The boys earned pocket money performing at the local speedway, where the crowd threw coins onto the track.

What did the name "BGs" originally stand for?

A DJ and a speedway promoter shared the initials; "Brothers Gibb" came later.

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.

Which Beatles manager passed the brothers' demo tapes on to Robert Stigwood?

Hugh Gibb had sent the demos before the family left Australia.

What trick helped "New York Mining Disaster 1941" into the charts in 1967?

Some DJs assumed it was a new Beatles single and played it in heavy rotation.

For which soul singer was "To Love Somebody" originally written?

Barry sang the ballad himself and it became a pop standard.

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

They wrote it in a New York hotel without ever having visited the state.

Which Australian folk group was their first UK number one originally intended for?

They failed to get the song to the band, so they recorded it themselves and sold over five million copies.

Which guitarist wrote "Such a Shame", the only original album track not by a Gibb brother?

He left in 1968 wanting to play more blues than the brothers were writing.

What inspired the melody of "I Started a Joke", according to Robin Gibb?

He said a Vickers Viscount's propellers sounded like a church choir about a hundred miles from Essen.

Which 1969 double album began life as a concept record called Masterpeace?

Robin quit soon after, furious that "Lamplight" was made the B-side of "First of May".

Which song did Robin think should have been the A-side of "First of May", so he quit?

His solo single "Saved by the Bell" then reached number two in the UK.

Which family member stood in for Robin at a 1969 performance?

Barry and Maurice carried on as the Bee Gees for the Cucumber Castle album.

Which 1971 single was the group's first US number one?

It also earned their first Grammy nomination; Al Green covered it the following year.

Which soul producer did Stigwood pair them with for Mr. Natural, steering them toward R&B?

Atlantic boss Ahmet Ertegun suggested him; the brothers had been reduced to playing variety clubs in Batley.

Whose suggestion sent the brothers to Miami's Criteria Studios in 1975?

The move produced Main Course and the comeback single "Jive Talkin'".

What was "Jive Talkin'" called in its early stages?

Its rhythm copied the sound of their car crossing the Julia Tuttle Causeway to the studio each day.

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

The falsetto became the band's trademark and their first charting R&B album followed.

Which CSNY member added percussion to "You Should Be Dancing" at Criteria Studios?

He was at Criteria recording Long May You Run with Neil Young at the time.

Where did the brothers write the Saturday Night Fever songs in roughly one weekend?

They were recording in France for tax reasons when Stigwood rang about a low-budget film then called Tribal Rites of a Saturday Night.

Whose music had John Travolta been dancing to before the Bee Gees songs were added?

"The Bee Gees weren't even involved in the movie in the beginning," he said.

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

The Bee Gees' own version was tucked away as the B-side of "Stayin' Alive".

Which group's version of "More Than a Woman" became the hit rather than the Bee Gees' own?

The Bee Gees' recording was relegated to an album track.

How many Grammy Awards did the Bee Gees win for Saturday Night Fever?

They included Album of the Year and Producer of the Year with Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson.

How many Gibb-written songs were in the US top ten at once on 25 March 1978?

Such dominance had not been seen since the Beatles held the top five in April 1964.

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

Peter Frampton played guitar on the session and Barry sang backing vocals.

Which Australian singer had a top ten hit with the Gibb-written "Emotion" in 1978?

The Bee Gees sang backing vocals; Destiny's Child revived the song in 2001.

Which rock star co-starred with them in Stigwood's 1978 Sgt. Pepper film?

Critics savaged it as a disjointed mess; they wrote "Tragedy" and "Too Much Heaven" on an afternoon off from filming.

How was the explosion sound at the climax of "Tragedy" created?

Co-producer Karl Richardson ran the two signals through a product generator and "whatever came out sounded like dynamite".

How many consecutive US number ones did the group achieve between 1977 and 1979?

That equalled the Beatles and was later surpassed only by Whitney Houston.

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

He appeared on the cover and duetted on two tracks; "Woman in Love" topped the charts in the US and UK.

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

The disco backlash kept it out of the top 40, ending a run that began with "Jive Talkin'".

Which Dionne Warwick comeback single of 1982 was written largely by the Bee Gees?

It reached number two in the UK and topped the US adult contemporary chart.

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

It was named after a Hemingway novel and first written for Diana Ross in an R&B style.

Which 1985 Diana Ross single written by the Bee Gees topped the UK and Australian charts?

The album's title track was co-written with Michael Jackson, who also sang on it.

What record did "You Win Again" set for the Bee Gees in 1987?

It stalled at 75 in the US, where radio largely ignored it.

What was the name of the charity group the Bee Gees formed with a Cream guitarist?

Their song "Fight (No Matter How Long)" appeared on the 1988 Summer Olympics album.

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.

Andy Gibb was the first solo artist to do what with his first trio of singles?

"I Just Want to Be Your Everything", "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water" and "Shadow Dancing" did it.

Why was the 1997 Las Vegas concert called "One Night Only"?

The response was so strong that it became a world tour ending before 72,000 in Sydney in 1999.

Which singer guested on "Immortality" at the One Night Only concert?

The show also synced a live performance to a vocal by their late brother Andy.

What is "Ellan Vannin", which the brothers recorded for charity in 1998?

They performed it on tour to reflect pride in their birthplace.

What was the title of the group's final album of new material, released in 2001?

It went top ten in the UK and top twenty in the US.

In which year did Maurice Gibb die unexpectedly, aged 53?

He suffered a heart attack while awaiting surgery for a strangulated intestine.

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

The Bee Gees themselves had been inducted in 1997.

Why is "Stayin' Alive" used in CPR training?

It runs at about 103 beats per minute, inside the 100–120 compressions recommended.

Who directed the 2020 documentary about the group that premiered on HBO Max?

It was released on HBO Max and nominated for six Emmy Awards.