Robin Gibb Biography

Singer and songwriter Robin Gibb was one of The Brothers Gibb — The Bee Gees — who became one of the most successful musical acts of the disco era and the late 20th century. Their soundtrack from the movie Saturday Night Fever defined the disco sound of the 1970s with hits such as “Stayin’ Alive” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” The Bee Gees were twins Robin and Maurice with their older brother, Barry (b. 1946). Originally from the Isle of Man, the Gibb family emigrated to Australia in 1958 and the three boys began their recording career in 1963, when they were in their teens. They wrote songs, sang back-up and recorded their own singles, returning to England in 1967 to further their career. The rivalry between Robin and Barry drove Robin to split temporarily from the group, and he had a solo hit with the 1970 single “Saved By the Bell.” For the next four decades Robin performed by himself and with The Bee Gees, having far more success as a brother than as a solo artist. The Bee Gees became one of the top-selling pop acts of all time, thanks in large part to the monstrous success of Saturday Night Fever, but also on the strength of hit songs such as “Lonely Days,” “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” and “You Should Be Dancing.” They also wrote hit songs for other artists, including “Islands in the Stream” for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, and “Heartbreaker” for Dionne Warwick. Robin’s solo album How Old Are You? gave him a hit with the single “Juliet” in 1983, and he continued to record and perform on and off with The Bee Gees up until 2001 — Maurice died in 2003 — but his days as a chart-topper were long gone. Robin Gibb announced in 2011 that he’d been treated for liver cancer, and in 2012 he was treated for colorectal cancer and, in April of that year was in a coma for a week following intestinal surgery. He died the next month.