Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE.
Born 1 September 1946, Barry Gibb is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born on the 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. Known for his high-pitched falsetto singing voice, Gibb holds the record for consecutive Billboard Hot 100 Number Ones as a writer with six. He also is the only songwriter to have written or co-written five songs that were simultaneously in the Top Ten.
Barry was born to Barbara and Hugh Gibb on the Isle of Man. He has an older sister, Lesley (b. 1945), and three younger brothers, fraternal twins Maurice (1949–2003) and Robin (b. 1949), and Andy (1958–1988). He and his family moved to Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester in 1953. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Brisbane, Australia, settling in one of the city's poorest suburbs, Cribb Island. The suburb was later bulldozed to make way for Brisbane Airport. It was in Australia that Gibb and his brothers Robin and Maurice starting performing as the Bee Gees. The Gibb family returned to England in 1967. Shortly afterward, the Bee Gees became international stars.
He married a former "Miss Edinburgh (Scotland)" Linda Gray on 1 September 1970, choosing his birthday "so he wouldn't forget [their] anniversary" according to his wife 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 five children: Stephen (b. 1973), Ashley (b. 1977), Travis (b. 1981), Michael (b. 1984), and Alexandra (b. 1991). Michael Jackson was the godfather of Gibb's son Michael. Gibb's son Steve Gibb has toured with the Bee Gees and has played guitar with the bands Crowbar and Kingdom Of Sorrow.
According to the biography Tales from The Brothers' Gibb..., Gibb had a heart attack in the early 1990s, which was brought on by morphine during a back operation. He also suffers from arthritis. Gibb thought that his career might be over because his hands were so badly affected. He sometimes wears a glove to keep his hand warm while playing the guitar.
When Barry was only two and a half years old, he was badly burned when he knocked over some hot tea that his mother had just put on the table. Barry was taken to Nobles Hospital, where his mother was told he would probably only live half an hour. Fortunately he survived, but in a critical state. He was kept in Nobles for about two and a half months. Barry stated that he doesn't remember anything about this accident, and that the first few years of his life have vanished from his memory. When Robin and Maurice were born in 1949, Barry got uncomfortable and followed his mother everywhere she went, and would start to cry whenever she left him. He eventually recovered from this, and was soon the "leader" of the Gibb brothers.
After the death of Maurice in 2003, Barry went on to record songs for a country album which hasn't been released yet, although the single "Drown on the River", which was featured in the movie Deal, has. In January 2006, Barry purchased the house of former country singers Johnny and June Carter Cash in Hendersonville Tennessee for $2.3 million, hoping to restore it and move in. The house, however, burned to the ground on April 10, 2007. The fire was started by the ignition of a wood preservative.
Barry appeared on the May 8, 2007 episode of American Idol, helping the remaining four contestants with his songs and giving a live performance of "To Love Somebody".
Barry was born to Barbara and Hugh Gibb on the Isle of Man. He has an older sister, Lesley (b. 1945), and three younger brothers, fraternal twins Maurice (1949–2003) and Robin (b. 1949), and Andy (1958–1988). He and his family moved to Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester in 1953. When he was 12 years old, his family moved to Brisbane, Australia, settling in one of the city's poorest suburbs, Cribb Island. The suburb was later bulldozed to make way for Brisbane Airport. It was in Australia that Gibb and his brothers Robin and Maurice starting performing as the Bee Gees. The Gibb family returned to England in 1967. Shortly afterward, the Bee Gees became international stars.
He married a former "Miss Edinburgh (Scotland)" Linda Gray on 1 September 1970, choosing his birthday "so he wouldn't forget [their] anniversary" according to his wife 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 five children: Stephen (b. 1973), Ashley (b. 1977), Travis (b. 1981), Michael (b. 1984), and Alexandra (b. 1991). Michael Jackson was the godfather of Gibb's son Michael. Gibb's son Steve Gibb has toured with the Bee Gees and has played guitar with the bands Crowbar and Kingdom Of Sorrow.
According to the biography Tales from The Brothers' Gibb..., Gibb had a heart attack in the early 1990s, which was brought on by morphine during a back operation. He also suffers from arthritis. Gibb thought that his career might be over because his hands were so badly affected. He sometimes wears a glove to keep his hand warm while playing the guitar.
When Barry was only two and a half years old, he was badly burned when he knocked over some hot tea that his mother had just put on the table. Barry was taken to Nobles Hospital, where his mother was told he would probably only live half an hour. Fortunately he survived, but in a critical state. He was kept in Nobles for about two and a half months. Barry stated that he doesn't remember anything about this accident, and that the first few years of his life have vanished from his memory. When Robin and Maurice were born in 1949, Barry got uncomfortable and followed his mother everywhere she went, and would start to cry whenever she left him. He eventually recovered from this, and was soon the "leader" of the Gibb brothers.
After the death of Maurice in 2003, Barry went on to record songs for a country album which hasn't been released yet, although the single "Drown on the River", which was featured in the movie Deal, has. In January 2006, Barry purchased the house of former country singers Johnny and June Carter Cash in Hendersonville Tennessee for $2.3 million, hoping to restore it and move in. The house, however, burned to the ground on April 10, 2007. The fire was started by the ignition of a wood preservative.
Barry appeared on the May 8, 2007 episode of American Idol, helping the remaining four contestants with his songs and giving a live performance of "To Love Somebody".
Barry Says...
"Leaving Australia was the hardest thing I have ever done."
"Maurice was a silly man. Maurice liked being silly."
"My music, certainly, has never embarrassed me."
"I'm Mr Boring, not a party-goer at all."
"I love making records; I love making music; I love writing songs."
"I have a little dictaphone and if a sound takes my fancy or if a lyric comes to me in the middle of the night I'll just record it there and then."
"I just love the feeling a close family gives you and I wouldn't change it for anything."
"Maurice was a silly man. Maurice liked being silly."
"My music, certainly, has never embarrassed me."
"I'm Mr Boring, not a party-goer at all."
"I love making records; I love making music; I love writing songs."
"I have a little dictaphone and if a sound takes my fancy or if a lyric comes to me in the middle of the night I'll just record it there and then."
"I just love the feeling a close family gives you and I wouldn't change it for anything."
