Gibb, Barry
Name |
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Birthname | Barry Allan Crompton Gibb | ||||
born on | 1 September 1946 at 09:00 (= 09:00 AM ) | ||||
Place | Douglas, Isle Of Man, 54n09, 4w28 | ||||
Timezone | GDT h1e (is daylight saving time) | ||||
Data source |
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Astrology data | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Biography
British-Australian pop musician, the eldest brother, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist of the musical family singing group "The Bee Gees." The brothers' songwriting team has been the most successful since the Beatles with a stream of No.1 hits in the late '60s and early '70s, known most notably as the co-writers and performers of the blockbuster song and movie sound track that defined the disco movement, "Stayin' Alive" for the film "Saturday Night Fever." The brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 and had an album, "Still Waters," the same year, which sold over three million copies. According to Guinness, the Bee Gees are the most successful family vocal group in pop history, having sold more than 110 million albums over 35 years.
The second of five children born to Hugh Gibb (born 15 January 1916), a bandleader, and Barbara, a former big-band singer, Barry's early development was stifled by an household accident at the age of 18 months. Accidentally pouring boiling water over much of his upper body, he was burned and traumatized to the point he didn't cry out loud or speak until the age of three. The family moved to Manchester, England in his early youth, where Barry and his younger twin brothers, Robin and Maurice, wreaked more than their share of mischief. "We broke the law about as much as you can. We lit a lot of fires, burnt a lot of places down, all empty."
He first became conscious of music at nine when he received a trumpet for his birthday; it was broken the following day in an episode of sibling rivalry. Intrigued by musical sound, he created a banjo-like instrument of boxes and wire, strumming and experimenting. A second-hand guitar was purchased, that was correctly tuned by a neighbor who taught Barry all the chords he knew. "I'm still playing those chords now, with a few extensions of what he taught me," Barry said. " I never learned to play the guitar. I can't even read music now. I could go and learn tomorrow but there's no reason. We even do our own string arrangements."
The three brothers displayed an uncanny ability to sing in perfect harmony in their early years, and made their first public appearance at a Manchester movie theater in 1955. After the debut their "whole theme in life was to be discovered. We would stand on street corners and sing. It was the feeling of standing in front of an audience that was so amazing. We'd never seen anything like it. We were very young, but it made an enormous impression. We didn't want to do anything else but make music. That put a dent to our education to a great extent."
Hugh's financial straits, his general dislike of the Manchester climate, combined with the tip of a kind policeman warning of increased possibilities of juvenile arrest, instigated a family move to Brisbane, Australia in August 1958. "Down Under," a nearby racetrack featured a midway where the boys would sing informally, where one year later race car driver Bill Goode beckoned them to the recording studio and airwaves of his D.J. friend Bill Gates. The singing brothers needed a name, so the combined initials of the two Bills plus the oldest son and leader Barry gave birth to the name B.G.'s, which later came to stand for the Brothers Gibb, then "The Bee Gees."
Air play of the Brother's Gibb first recording lead to appearances on variety shows on TV and the stages of resort hotels, nightclubs and bars. Their success made them the family breadwinners with Hugh as their manager and in 1963 the family upgraded to a Sydney suburb, where they got their first recording contract. While the record "The Battle of The Blue and Grey" flopped, Barry worked every weekend except two over a nine year period and signed out of school forever at age 15 to devote more time to his passion of songwriting and performing.
The success of the Beatles beckoned Barry back to his native England to test the musical waters. After arriving on 7 February 1967, they signed on 24 February 1967 with music producer Robert Stigwood, the partner of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. Their hit single that same year, "Massachusetts," sold five million records. When it reached the top of the charts, their success was assured, releasing two albums "Bee Gee's First," and "Horizontal" by the end of that same year. Barry's prolific songwriting, combined with his melodic, self-composed harmonies performed with his brothers led to annual gold albums, successful world tours and movie soundtracks. All three brothers gave a performance together at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, NV on 14 November 1997; it was their first live concert in the U.S. in more than five years.
Barry's early marriage to Maureen Bates ended in divorce. He married Linda Grey, the former Miss Scotland, on 1 September 1970. They have five children, Stephen, born 1973, who is following in his father's musical footsteps, Ashley in 1977, Travis in 1981, Michael in 1984 and Alexandra, born four months premature in late 1991.
Barry maintains two homes, one in Miami and one Tudor mansion on 87 acres west of London where, in addition to his career as a pop music writer and performer, he is an avid student of UFO's, past life regressions and anything supernatural.
In the autumn of 2005, he and Barbra Streisand reunited to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their successful joint venture, album "Guilty." The new CD is called "Guilty Pleasures."
Relationships
- associate relationship with Rogers, Kenny (born 21 August 1938). Notes: Music collaborators
- parent->child relationship with Gibb, Ashley Robert (born 8 September 1977)
- parent->child relationship with Gibb, Michael (born 1 December 1984)
- parent->child relationship with Gibb, Steve (born 1 December 1973)
- parent->child relationship with Gibb, Travis (born 10 January 1981)
- child->parent relationship with Gibb, Barbara (born 17 November 1920)
- spouse relationship with Gibb, Linda (born 11 May 1950)
- sibling relationship with Gibb, Andy (born 5 March 1958)
- sibling relationship with Gibb, Maurice (born 22 December 1949)
- sibling relationship with Gibb, Robin (born 22 December 1949)
- has other family relationship with Gibb-Rhodes, Bernice (born 29 September 1964)
Events
- Health : Accident (Non-fatal) March 1948 (Accident with boiling water, burnt chest area)
chart Placidus Equal_H.
- Work : New Career 1955 at 12:00 midnight in Manchester, England (First public appearance at movie theater)
- Family : Change residence 1958 (England to Brisbane, Australia)
- Family : Change residence 1963 (Brisbane to Sydney)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1974 (Son born)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1978 (Daughter born)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1981 (Son born)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1985 (Son born)
- Family : Change in family responsibilities 1991 (Daughter born)
- Work : Prize 1997 (Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
- Work : Published/ Exhibited/ Released 1997 (Album, "Still Waters")
- Work : Published/ Exhibited/ Released 2005 (New album with Barbra Streisand: "Guilty Pleasures")
Source Notes
Tashi Grady quotes his mom, B.C.
Sy Scholfield quotes "The Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb" by Andrew Môn Hughes (Music Sales Group, 2009): "It was in the little flat over Maley's Chemist at 17 Strand Street, in Douglas' main shopping street, that Hugh and Barbara were living with baby Lesley when their first son was born at 8.45 a.m. on September 1, 1946 at the Jane Crookall Maternity Home in Douglas."
Categories
- Diagnoses : Body Part Problems : Accident/Injury (Burned, boiling water, chest area)
- Family : Childhood : Memories Bad (Traumatized, body burned by boiling water)
- Family : Childhood : Order of birth (Second of five)
- Family : Childhood : Sibling circumstances (Brothers also part of "The Bee Gees")
- Family : Relationship : Number of Divorces (One)
- Family : Relationship : Number of Marriages (Two)
- Family : Parenting : Kids more than 3 (Five)
- Lifestyle : Work : Work in team/ Tandem (Musical group)
- Passions : Criminal Perpetrator : Civil/ Political (Arson as a child)
- Personal : Religion/Spirituality : UFO Experience (Avid student of the supernatural, UFO's)
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Group/ Duo (Bee Gees)
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Instrumentalist (Guitar)
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Song writer
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Vocalist/ Pop, Rock, etc.
- Notable : Awards : Guinness Book of Records (Most successful family group in history)
- Notable : Awards : Hall of Fame (Rock and Roll)
- Notable : Famous : Notable extremes (Most successful family musical group in history)
- Notable : Famous : Top 5% of Profession
- Notable : Book Collection : Culture Collection
- 1946 births
- Birthday 1 September
- Birthplace Douglas, IMAN (UK)
- Sun 8 Virgo
- Moon 13 Scorpio
- Asc 3 Libra
- Diagnoses : Body Part Problems : Accident/Injury
- Family : Childhood : Memories Bad
- Family : Childhood : Order of birth
- Family : Childhood : Sibling circumstances
- Family : Relationship : Number of Divorces
- Family : Relationship : Number of Marriages
- Family : Parenting : Kids more than 3
- Lifestyle : Work : Work in team/ Tandem
- Passions : Criminal Perpetrator : Civil/ Political
- Personal : Religion/Spirituality : UFO Experience
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Group/ Duo
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Instrumentalist
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Song writer
- Vocation : Entertain/Music : Vocalist/ Pop, Rock, etc.
- Notable : Awards : Guinness Book of Records
- Notable : Awards : Hall of Fame
- Notable : Famous : Notable extremes
- Notable : Famous : Top 5% of Profession
- Notable : Book Collection : Culture Collection