Almost everyone knows or has at least heard of The Bee Gees. They were one of the most iconic bands of the 1970s. They released hits like “Staying Alive ” which not only topped Billboard charts both in the U.S. and Britain but has been used in several movie soundtracks, as well as in countless shows. Over time their reputation grew and their fame became worldwide.
The Bee Gees were a 3 brother group hailing from the Isle of Man. Members included Barry, Maurice, and Robbin. They had 2 other siblings and their childhood was a rough one. The Isle of Man is located somewhere in the middle of the northern Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. Their parents moved them to Manchester, England.
Robin had a reputation for playing with fire and even burned down several billboards. He was such a nuisance that the local police in Manchester strongly suggested the Gibb family pack up. In 1958 the family of 7 moved to Redcliffe, Australia in the hopes of keeping the boys out of trouble. The family suffered financially, as did most of the world’s economy after WW2 and the 3 brothers began to perform to earn extra money. Their parents were also musically inclined, mom Barbara was a singer, and dad, Hugh, was a drummer and bandleader.
Barry Gibb is the only brother of the 3, still alive today. While that did not come without its own hardships, Barry credits his wife Linda as the reason, stating his brother had to “deal with their demons”. Having Linda in his life helped him to find a balance between being a musician and a family man. Musicians experience long work hours and massive parties, both of which come with a lot of drug exposure.
From trying to stay awake and energized to partying hard, many musicians turn to drugs to help them keep up with the fast-paced lifestyle. Linda would always dispose of the drugs she caught Barry with and he believes this is the majority of the reason his body held up better than his brothers’. In 2003, Maurice died from complications involving a twisted intestine and Robbin passed away in 2012 from cancer. Barry Gibb’s biggest regret is that his brothers passed away while they were not on good terms.
Barry was married prior to meeting Linda. At 19 he married Maureen Bates, that same year The Bee Gees released their breakthrough song, “Spicks and Specks”. The marriage didn’t last long and the couple was divorced by 1970. Not long after, Barry met Linda and knew she was the love of his life.
During an interview with The Sun, Barry recalled the day they met, the band had just performed and decided after they would visit the nearby BBC Sci-Fi set. Linda Gray was a hostess for the week and Barry Gibb said when the 2 laid eyes on each other from across the room something happened and there was an instant connection.