Bee Gees, the

▪ British-Australian pop-rock group

      English-Australian pop-rock band that embodied the disco era of the late 1970s. In becoming one of the best-selling recording acts of all time, the Bee Gees (short for the Brothers Gibb) adapted to changing musical styles while maintaining the high harmonies, elaborate melodies, and ornate orchestrations that were their trademark. The principal members were Barry Gibb (b. September 1, 1947, Isle of Man), Robin Gibb (b. December 22, 1949, Manchester, Isle of Man), and Maurice Gibb (b. December 22, 1949, Isle of Man—d. January 12, 2003, Miami, Florida, U.S.).

      After emigrating to Australia with their parents, the Gibb brothers returned to England in the mid 1960s to further their singing careers. Their early recordings, including dramatic hits such as "Massachusetts" (1967), drew comparisons with the Beatles (Beatles, the). The trio reached the Top Ten with "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" and "I Started a Joke" (both 1968) but split briefly after the relative failure of their concept album Odessa (1969). Once reunited, they had hits with "Lonely Days" (1970) and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (1971), but there were several hitless years before they returned to the charts with Main Course (1975). Recorded in Miami, Florida, U.S., grounded in rhythm and blues, and typified by the chart-topping single "Jive Talkin'," it put the Bee Gees at the forefront of the disco movement, which their work on the soundtrack album Saturday Night Fever (1977) would popularize and in many ways define. Besides writing their own hits, such as "Stayin' Alive," the brothers composed tracks for other artists on the album, which would eventually sell 40 million copies. Subsequent albums, however, failed to match the success of their earlier work. In 1997 the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

* * *