Barry_Gibb

Barry Gibb

Barry Alan Crompton Gibb CBE (born 1 September 1946) is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed the Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major success when they returned to England. He is known for his high-pitched falsetto singing voice.

Early life

Gibb grew up with his family in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England. In 1958 his family moved to Brisbane, Australia, settling in one of the city's poorest suburbs, Cribb Island, which was subsequently obliterated to make way for Brisbane Airport.

Personal life

Barry Gibb married a former "Miss Edinburgh (Scotland)" Linda Gray on 1 September 1970, choosing Barry's birthdate "so he wouldn't forget [their] anniversary" according to Linda from a 1979 biography of the Bee Gees. At that time they lived in Abbey House, a mansion block in London near the Abbey Road crossing made famous by The Beatles. They have 5 children: Stephen (1973), Ashley (1977), Travis (1981), Michael (1984), and Alexandra (1991). He has five grandchildren: Nina and Angus Levas Gibb (Stephen's children), Lucas John Crompton Gibb (Ashley's child), Damien Michael Crompton Gibb (Michael's child), and Layla Victoria Gibb (Travis's child). According to the biography Tales from The Brothers' Gibb ... In the early 90s Barry had a heart attack brought on by morphine during a back operation and suffers from arthritis. He also thought that his career was over because his hands were badly affected and sometimes wears a glove to keep his hand warm while playing the guitar.

In January 2006 Gibb purchased the former home of country legends Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in Hendersonville, Tennessee, intending to restore it and turn it into a songwriting retreat. This house was destroyed by fire on 10 April 2007.

Gibb resides in Miami Beach and Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

Political activity

On 7 December 2006, Barry Gibb, along with around 4,500 other musicians, took out a full-page advertisement in the Financial Times newspaper calling for the British Government to extend the existing 50 years copyright protection for sound recordings in the United Kingdom. The fair play for musicians advertisement was viewed as a direct response to the Gowers Review published by the British Government on 6 December 2006 which recommended the retention of the 50 year protection for sound recordings.

Recent work

On the 8 May 2007 episode of American Idol, Gibb mentored the four remaining contestants, and on the following night, he sang his own song "To Love Somebody" before the elimination of LaKisha Jones.

As a preview to his forthcoming country album, Gibb has released the song "Drown On The River" to iTunes. The song will also be featured in the 2008 movie Deal starring Burt Reynolds.

According to interviews, Gibb has some resistance to his late 70s music being called 'disco' and had thought of the music that they were writing at the time as R&B and soul.

Discography

Albums

1984: Now Voyager
1988: Hawks (Soundtrack)
2006: The Eaten Alive Demos
2006: The Guilty Demos
2006: The Heartbreaker Demos
2006: The Eyes That See in the Dark Demos

Singles

1969: "I'll Kiss Your Memory"
1978: "A Day in the Life"
1981: "Guilty" (duet with Barbra Streisand)
1981: "What Kind of Fool" (duet with Barbra Streisand)
1984: "Shine Shine"
1984: "Fine Line"
1988: "Childhood Days"
2006: "Dr. Mann"
2006: "Underworld"
2007: "Drown On the River"

Trivia

Gibb's son Steve Gibb has toured with the Bee Gees and is currently a guitarist for the bands Crowbar and Kingdom Of Sorrow.
The Barry Gibb Talk Show has been a popular satirical segment on Saturday Night Live, and featured Jimmy Fallon as a temperamental Barry and Justin Timberlake as his brother Robin.
Gibb had a short cameo role in the Only Fools and Horses film Miami Twice.
Michael Jackson is the godfather of Barry's son Michael.
Gibb composed the theme music for ITV's Grease Is The Word
Gibb holds the record for consecutive Hot 100 Number Ones as a writer with 6.
Some music videos of the late 1970s features Barry with his beard shaven off such as the alterante version of How Deep Is Your Love, the alternate version of Stayin' Alive & Night Fever. The music video of Barry's solo song "Fine Line" from his solo album "Now Voyager" was the last music video to feature a clean-shaven Barry.
Gibb has mentioned an interest in reissueing some older Bee Gees albums under the SACD format.