Barry Gibb Biography
Summary
"Barry Alan Crompton Gibb" CBE (born on 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
Gibb married a former 'Miss Edinburgh (Scotland)' Linda Gray on September 1, 1970, choosing Barry's birthdate 'so he wouldn't forget their anniversary' according to Linda from a 1979 biography of the BeeGees. They have 5 children: Stephen (1973), Ashley (1977), Travis (1981), Michael (1984), and Alexandra (1991). He has four grand-children: Nina and Angus Levas Gibb (Stephen's children), Lucas John Crompton Gibb (Ashley's child) and Damien Michael Crompton Gibb (Michael's child).
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 April 10, 2007.
Gibb resides in Miami Beach and England.
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 May 8 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, Barry has released the song "Drown On The River" to iTunes. The song will also be featured in the 2007 movie "Deal" starring Burt Reynolds.
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.
1984: Shine Shine.
1984: Fine Line.
1988: Childhood Days.
2006: Dr. Mann.
2006: Underworld.
2007: Drown On The River.
Trivia
Barry's distinctive falsetto voice was discovered by Arif Mardin in 1975, when he produced the Bee Gees track 'Nights on Broadway'. It would become a familiar distinction of the band's overall sound.
Barry's son Steve Gibb has toured with the Bee Gees and is currently a guitarist for Crowbar.
"The Barry Gibb Talk Show" has been a popular satirical segment on "Saturday Night Live", and featured Jimmy Fallon as Barry and Justin Timberlake as his brother Robin.
Barry 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
Barry Gibb has written 16 U.S. Billboard Number one singles (producing 13 of them), third all-time. Only John Lennon & Paul McCartney have written more Number One hits than Barry Gibb.
Gibb holds the record for consecutive Hot 100 Number Ones as a writer with 6.
External links
(The Official Barry Gibb Website)
Credit
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article about Barry Gibb.
