Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb AC CBE (born September 1, 1946) is a British musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. 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. He was a friend of Michael Jackson's, and collaborated with him twice.
History[]
Barry rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, with his younger brothers, Robin and Maurice, 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. The group sang recognisable three-part tight harmonies: Robin's clear vibrato lead vocals were a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the mid- to late 1970s and 1980s. The group wrote all their own original material, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists, and are regarded as one of the most important and influential acts in pop-music history.
Born on the Isle of Man to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived in Chorlton, Manchester, England, until the late 1950s. There, in 1955, they formed the skiffle/rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes. The family then moved to Redcliffe, in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia, later to Cribb Island. After achieving their first chart successes in Australia as the Bee Gees, they returned to the UK in January 1967, when producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience. The Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (1977) was the turning point of their career, with both the film and soundtrack having a cultural impact throughout the world, enhancing the disco scene's mainstream appeal. They won five Grammy Awards for Saturday Night Fever, including Album of the Year.
Following Maurice's sudden death in January 2003 aged 53, Barry and Robin retired the group's name after 45 years of activity. In 2009 Robin announced he and Barry had agreed the Bee Gees would re-form and perform again. Robin died in May 2012, aged 62, after a prolonged period of failing health, leaving Barry as the only surviving member of the group.
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. 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. He was also made an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia on 27 January 2022.
Relationship with Michael Jackson[]
Gibb met with and worked with Michael all the way back in the 1980's. They'd stay close friends for the next two decades. During his child molestation trial in the 2000s, The King of Pop spent a lot of time with Barry to relax from his immense stress.
| “ | Well, we sat around in my lounge for days at a time, just having fun, not really writing songs, We came up with one, 'All in My Name', but we were never that serious about it. I think Michael was just trying to escape the legal environment he was trapped in, he was visiting people he knew that he could relate to, because he didn’t know who his friends were. | ” |
–Barry Gibb[1] | ||
According to The Bee-Gees member, however, Michael "overstayed [his] welcome" and was politely asked to leave.
| “ | At some point, I said: ‘Michael, wherever it is you’re going, you’ve got to go.’ So, I politely asked Michael Jackson to leave my house because I couldn’t get anything else done. | ” |
–Barry Gibb[2] | ||
In later years, after Michael's death, Gibb stated the two were "dearest of friends", "gravitated towards the same kind of music" and "he was the easiest person to write with".[3]
The two hit the studio when working on a song, "Eaten Alive". The collaboration was first recorded solely by the two artists in 1985, and released by Diana Ross. The two can still be heard throughout the chorus.
In 2002, the two dueted again, crafting a song called "All In Your Name", made in protest of the American and British governments' plans to invade Iraq in 2003. The collaboration however, wasn't finished and was left in that state for the next 9 years.
On June 25, 2011, two years after Jackson's passing, Gibb put up the track, a music video and recording sessions for it on his site.
Gallery[]
