(Archived)

(NEWS)

Brothers Gibb boulevard

picture below

On April 22, 2005, recording superstar Barry Gibb was officially welcomed back to the city of North Miami by councilman Scott Galvin. Barry was in town producing a new album for Barbra Streisand at the Hit Factory Criteria.

Mr. Galvin presented him with a commemorative sign for the "Brothers Gibb Boulevard", a section of NE 18th Avenue in North Miami that had been renamed last year for Barry, Robin and Maurice. Brothers Gibb Boulevard runs directly in front of The Hit Factory Criteria. The idea to rename the street originally belonged to Officer Tim Littlefield of the North Miami Police Department.

Pictured (left to right): General Manager of The Hit Factory Criteria Trevor Fletcher; North Miami Councilman Scott Galvin; Barry Gibb; and Officer Tim Littlefield of the North Miami Police Department. Picture copyright of Scott Galvin.

With more than 100,000 people dead, and the damage reaching to the millions of dollars, the Tsunami Relief Effort has taken up almost everyones thoughts lately. Many celebrities are among the names giving aid. Veteran pop stars Cliff Richard and Boy George have confirmed that they will sing on a new charity single entitled "Grief Never Grows Old," a song written by British radio disc jockey Mike Read. Among the stars to provide tracks, vocal or otherwise, are Robin and Barry Gibb, ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, Steve Winwood, Ronan Keating, Jamie Cullum and Chris Rea. The song will be recorded under the name One World Project, but - unlike similar concept album Band Aid - will be a slow ballad for a limited amount of voices, rather than the African famine relief’s group effort. Read, who wrote the song before the Boxing Day tragedy but thought it was too sad to release, says all funds raised by the record will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee. Organisers hope to get the track into the shops as soon as possible.

Bee Gees Number 1s was released on Nov.1, 2004 in the UK/Japan and Nov. 9, 2004 in the US / Internationally. This CD presents all US #1 hits from the group in a single-CD package for the first time and also features other number ones from around the world; from the UK and Germany to Brazil and New Zealand. Also, at the request of Barry and Robin, “Man In The Middle” has been included as a tribute to Maurice. The album's booklet includes a message written by Barry and Robin jointly, and also from Sir Tim Rice. The UK / Japan release is a single CD with bonus tracks, while the US / International release will have 2 songs that the other one doesn't and will come with a bonus DVD. Below is the track listing for both albums.

UK / Japan track listing:(* UK / Japan ONLY to have this song)

1. Massachusetts

2. World

3. Words

4. I've Gotta Get A Message To You

5. I Started A Joke

6. Don't Forget To Remember

7. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

8. Jive Talkin'

9. You Should Be Dancing

10. How Deep Is Your Love

11. Stayin' Alive

12. Night Fever

13. Too Much Heaven

14. Tragedy

15. More Than A Woman *

16. Love You Inside Out

17. You Win Again

18. Man In The Middle (Special Maurice Tribute Track)

19. Islands In The Stream (Bonus Track) *

20. Immortality (Bonus Track) *

US / International track listing:(~ US / Inter. ONLY to have this song)

1. Massachusetts

2. World

3. Words

4. I've Gotta Get a Message To You

5. I Started A Joke

6. Don't Forget To Remember

7. Lonely Days ~

8. How Can you Mend A Broken Heart

9. Jive Talkin'

10. You Should Be Dancing

11. Love So Right ~

12. How Deep Is Your Love

13. Stayin' Alive

14. Night Fever

15. Too Much Heaven

16. Tragedy

17. Love You Inside Out

18. You Win Again

19. Man In The Middle (Special Maurice Tribute Track)

Robin talks about the upcoming Maurice tribute, about Mo's passing and his new album, DVD and another hits album for the Bee Gees...

“I have spent almost two years reconciling my personal life and determining my future. With a terrific team, I am looking forward to the many years to come and the outstanding projects we have in store, beginning almost immediately. I am very appreciative of the love, support and consideration that fans, business associates, and media have shown since Maurice’s passing.”

Fortunately for millions of fans worldwide, music legend Robin Gibb has returned from his self-imposed hiatus after the untimely loss of his twin brother and fellow Bee Gee Maurice. Robin’s immediate plans include an extraordinary live tribute concert and worldwide television special, compilation and brand new recordings, and concert tours. The project spans over 5 years, and will re-introduce Robin and the Bee Gees to both past, present, and importantly the future.

Robin has just set off on the Magnetic Tour 2004 in Germany with the New Frankfurt Philharmonic, which is being taped by Eagle Vision for an upcoming DVD. Dr. Ralph Philipp Ziegler, Artistic Leader for the Philharmonic, is quoted as saying, “Having been chosen to team up with Robin Gibb fills us with great pride and we are extremely motivated, for Robin, and for our audience, to present this extraordinary event with the greatest enthusiasm.”

Next month, the ultimate compilation CD of some of the Bee Gees #1 songs will be released worldwide by Polydor.

Robin will return to the studio after the German dates to finish recording a new solo CD, produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds under Robin’s Magnet, Inc. production banner. The album will feature Bee Gees songs personally selected by Robin, and Babyface featuring chart topping contemporary vocalists including Jagged Edge, Black Eyed Peas, and a handful of the roster of Mathew Knowles’ new management division of Sanctuary Artist Management, as well as many outstanding surprises.

A limited Making Of non-scripted television series is planned to precede the release of the CD, which is anticipated for Fall ’05. An extensive World Tour will follow.

Perhaps the biggest project Robin is undertaking is a televised tribute concert for Maurice. Along with Maurice’s family, the Maurice Gibb Foundation and CG Management, comprised of long-time manager Ken Graydon, who continues to represent Robin in the UK and Europe, and well established British manager and publisher John Campbell, who has re-located to Los Angeles to set up an American operation and to represent Robin in the U.S., other international territories, Robin is preparing what promises to be the consummate star-studded, talent packed musical special event, a tribute to Maurice. It will take place in the United States in Spring ’05, and be broadcast on a U.S. television network and worldwide. Babyface will be the music director of the show, which is sure to be a major musical event of 2005, attracting enormous worldwide interest. It’s worth noting, friends of the top selling trio are all coming out to remember Maurice. Stars such as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Tom Jones, Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys are among the celebrities approached for this project so far. John Travolta has been approached to host the event. Charity foundation EIF is in talks to become seriously involved in the project.

“Maurice loved life,” said Robin, “And we want to celebrate his life and talent the best way we know how – through music.”

Another Hall of Fame for the Brothers Gibb

The Bee Gees were inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame on September 20^th, 2004.

Barry and Robin receive their CBEs while Adam accepts on his father's behalf. - for pictures, click here, for video clip from the BBC, click here (1 min, 24 secs)

The two surviving Bee Gees, Barry and Robin Gibb, have made a "bittersweet" visit to Buckingham Palace - and paid tribute to their late brother Maurice. 

The musical trio were made CBEs three years ago, but Maurice died last year before the brothers had a chance to pick up their gongs. 

"We are not the Bee Gees now," Barry, said at the palace on Thursday. 

Robin and Barry collected their honours from Prince Charles, alongside Maurice's son Adam. 

Looking close to tears, Adam, said his mother, Maurice's widow, Yvonne, was at the ceremony but had been too emotional to collect the award. 

Prince Charles told him he hoped the honour would be "a little something" to remember his father by. 

Robin, who was at Maurice's bedside when he died, said the prince had also discussed the band's songs with them during the ceremony. 

Barry said the brothers had "mixed feelings" about receiving the honours. 

"It is bittersweet," he added. "We are not the Bee Gees now. It would have been wonderful for all three of us to be here. 

"Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley."

Brothers Gibb Say the Bee Gees Are Done

Barry and Robin Gibb, who went to Buckingham Palace to be honored Thursday, said the Bee Gees died with their brother, Maurice.

During an emotional ceremony, Prince Charles made the brothers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE. Maurice's son, Adam, received the award on his father's behalf.

"It's bittersweet. It would have been wonderful for all three of us to be here," Barry Gibb, 57, said afterward. "We have mixed feelings. Knowing Mo, this would have been right up his alley. He would have still had his hat on," a reference to Maurice Gibb's beloved black trilby.

Gibb said the Bee Gees are now a thing of the past. "We are not the Bee Gees now, in respect for Mo," he said. "Maybe the time's just right for a bit of free flight. Maybe at some point we will do something together."

Adam Gibb, a 28-year-old film student, looked close to tears after collecting his father's award.

"My mother was supposed to do it, but she wouldn't have been able to" because of the emotion, he said. Maurice Gibb's widow, Yvonne, watched from the audience.

Barry and Robin receive honorary doctorates and pay tribute to Maurice (see highlighted section below or visit Commander Mo news) - for pictures, click here

Sadness behind Bee Gee day of honour

It is the emotional return that means so much to Robin and Barry Gibb - but one that they have been secretly dreading. 

Heading back to Manchester university to collect honorary degrees - which recognise the musical contribution of the Bee Gees - means revisiting the painful memories which have haunted the stars since their brother, Maurice, died from a heart attack last year.

"Maurice would have been so proud," said Robin, 54, who was collecting a posthumous degree with Barry on behalf of his twin brother. "Really, this would have meant the world to him."

The last time the Gibb family returned to Manchester publicly was at the time of a South Bank Show special in 1997, when Barry, Maurice, Robin and the boys' mother, Barbara, now 83, were photographed outside their old Victorian home in Keppel Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

"We really are so honoured that the city where we grew up should have bestowed this honour upon us," said Robin. "People ask whether Manchester really is that important to us - and it is."

Robin and Barry will use the visit to Manchester to catch up with family members who still live in and around the city.

Asked about continuing speculation about whether the Bee Gees name will ever be used for another release, Robin added: "It is something that we are still talking about."

Nor have the surviving brothers yet decided whether they will take legal action against the Mount Sinai Medical Center, in Miami, where Maurice died. "The last year has been incredibly difficult for us," said Robin, who has a home in Oxfordshire.

"Returning home to Manchester without Maurice is a very hard thing for Barry and I to do. But we are grateful to have made such an impact in Manchester."

"I think it was my suggestion that we go on and actually sing," Robin recalls. "Maurice said: 'You're out of your box.' But we did! All the kids went 'Yeah!' We were an instant hit.

"We didn't come from a very well-to-do background. We came from the backstreets of Manchester. We didn't have any training, we weren't born with silver spoons in our mouths and we didn't go to universities of music. So it was a sort of street education."

"Manchester is still a fantastic part of Britain," said Barry, 56, who bought the former family home two years ago.

Degrees for Bee Gees in Home Town of Manchester

Bee Gees Robin and Barry Gibb returned to their hometown Wednesday to receive honorary degrees and a posthumous degree for their brother Maurice. 

The musical trio with hits over four decades received honorary doctorates in music from Manchester University. 

Barry said: "The ceremony was completely overwhelming ... Maurice would be very proud. He was applauding as well." 

"Maurice is looking down and thinking 'God, I wish I'd been there.' He would have loved this sort of thing," he added, his silver locks flowing out of a floppy cap on to his red gown. 

The brothers stars, who now live in Miami, were happy to be back. 

"People are the same here as they always have been," said Barry. 

Both Barry and Robin, who wore his trademark blue shades with the full academic dress, hinted the brothers planned to record together but were only just emerging from the shadow cast by Maurice's death. 

"We cannot be the Bee Gees anymore but we will come together," Barry said. 

"Since Mo died, I haven't really been able to go anywhere. This is the first time I have really come to the surface." 

But the brothers, who left school early, where overwhelmed by their awards. 

"It is a very proud day for our mum," Barry added. 

 The brothers will go to Chorlton-cum-Hardy, the Manchester suburb where they grew up, later in the day to open a school recording studio to be named in memory of Maurice.  

Pupils at the school, Oakwood High, are due to sing a selection of their songs for Robin, 55, and Barry, 57.

Bee Gees go back to their roots

Bee Gees Robin and Barry Gibb were returning to their roots on Wednesday to open a school recording studio named in memory of their brother Maurice. The brothers were joined by family and friends at Oakwood High School in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, the Manchester suburb they grew up in. 

They also received doctorates in music from the University of Manchester and a posthumous honour for Maurice. 

Accepting the honorary degrees from university chancellor Anna Ford, Barry said the ceremony was "overwhelming and wonderful".

The Doctors Gibb

"Maurice would be very proud. He was applauding as well. He's looking down on us and I bet he wishes he was here. This is certainly not because of our education. This is based on our recording and our music and what this means to people. It's tremendous. People who do what we do certainly don't expect something like this. Maurice would be very proud. He was applauding as well. He's looking down on us and I bet he wishes he was here."

Barry, 56, and Robin, 54, posed for photographs and signed autographs in the cap and gowns on Wednesday before moving on to Oakwood High. 

The school was named as a centre of excellence for the performing arts last year. 

The Gibb brothers met pupils who performed a selection of Bee Gees songs.

Bee Gees accept degrees

Robin and Barry Gibb were at the University of Manchester to accept degrees making them doctors of music.

The pair accepted a posthumous honorary degree from the university chancellor Anna Ford on behalf of their brother who died in January 2003.

Barry said: "The ceremony was completely overwhelming and wonderful.

"Maurice would be very proud. He was applauding as well. He's looking down on us and I bet he wishes he was here."

Barry, 56, said it had been a "difficult time" since Maurice died but he and Robin, 54, were opening a recording studio at a Manchester school later today in his honour.

Wearing red and yellow gowns and soft black velvet caps, the pair posed for photographers and signed autographs for fans.

Barry said: "We started here and we've come back full circle via the long way. People here have not changed, that's for sure. People are still very open and friendly. It's incredible."

The brothers said they used to perform in the Beaumont Cinema in the city before it became a funeral home, and had lived in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

Barry said their awards were not based on academic ability.

He added: "This is certainly not because of our education. This is based on our recording and our music and what this means to people. It's not academic, I can promise you that. It's tremendous. People who do what we do certainly don't expect something like this. It means a lot to us. There are lots of people here today who are very deserving."

Barry pledged that he and Robin would continue recording.

Joking with reporters, he said: "Dr Gibb. I can write prescriptions now."

 ~~~~~~~~~~~{ Archived News pre-2004}~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Barry has been working with Sir Cliff Richard on a couple of songs Barry sent him. "How Many Sleeps", written by Barry & David English, and "I Cannot Give You My Love", written by Barry & Ashley a couple of years ago. Also, Barry and Robin have some projects going on right now, so they will probably not be working togethere for a little while longer.

As for the Love & Hope Ball of 2004, Barry has said that he will perform at the Ball, to be held on February 28 at the Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, Florida. Some have said not to call about tickets and info, this is entirely up to you, since there is no official site for the Bee Gees, the only way to get any info that you can really rely on is to check around.

Lulu released a greatest hits package on the 10th of november, in England. This can be bought as an import for the time being. "first of may" (live) was recorded in may of 2002 with Maurice. Here is the track listing: 1. Shout 2. Independence (Brothers In Rhythm Mix) 3. Relight My Fire 4. Teardrops 5. I Don't Wanna Fight 6. We've Got Tonight (Album Version) 7. Man Who Sold The World 8. Where The Poor Boys Dance (Almighty Mix) 9. Hurt Me So Bad (Almighty Radio Edit) 10. To Sir With Love 11. Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby) 12. I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do) 13. Sail On Sailor 14. I'm Back For More 15. Man With The Golden Gun 16. Boat That I Row 17. Boom Bang-A-Bang 18. First Of May (Live)

The vote to rename the Island View Park in Miami Beach, Florida, to the Maurice Gibb Memorial Park has passed. There is still no news about when the official renaming will take place or if there will be the Maurice Gibb Pavilion (gazebo).

World Awards in Germany - 10/22/03

Robin was on hand to accept the World Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement at the World Awards in Germany on Oct. 22.

Robin Gibb - Fame Academy

Former Bee Gee Robin Gibb is close to signing up as a full time presenter for the new series of Fame Academy, alongside headmaster Richard Park.

The singer is said to be "seriously considering" a permanent role on the show, along with Park and singing coach Carrie Grant, who are returning for a second series.

"Yes, they are in talks," said a spokeswoman for the singer. "He has been approached to do it and has been talking to Endemol.

"So far nothing is 100% agreed, but I think he'll be making his decision any time now. As I understand it, it would be to appear alongside the headmaster Richard Park and voice coach Carrie Grant."

Other names in the frame for Fame Academy 2 include the former Factory Records boss Tony Wilson - otherwise known as Mr Manchester.

His appointment is expected to be announced on Monday, when the BBC officially launches the second series of Fame Academy.

The corporation has also approached a number of celebrities to give day-long masterclasses to contestants on the TV show.

Gibb, who has just released a solo album, would take a much bigger role in the show than Lionel Ritchie and Shania Twain, who made guest appearances on the first series of the reality talent show.

Maurice Gibb Family Statement

Our father always made sure we knew how much his fans meant to him.

His joy, love and passion for music was always strong and his fans kept that alive for him always.

Please understand that due to the quickness of the situation, it did not allow enough time for you, his fans to pay your respects.

Please know however, that we will be having a memorial in honor of his life for all of us to share and celebrate our love and respect for our father.

We will keep you informed on the details of the memorial.

Thank You

Yvonne, Samantha & Adam Gibb

THE GIBB FAMILY FOUNDATION

In order to honor the memory of Maurice Gibb as well as Andy Gibb and their extensive charity work, The Gibb Family and The Andy Gibb Memorial Foundation announce that The Andy Gibb Memorial Foundation will now be known as THE GIBB FAMILY FOUNDATION. 

In addition to the charities that currently benefit from The Andy Gibb Memorial Foundation, The Gibb Family Foundation will also support many of the various charities that Maurice supported. 

The address of the Foundation will remain the same. We thank you for your continued support.

Gibb Family Foundation
c/o Dade Community Foundation
200 South Biscayne Boulevard
Suite 505
Miami, FL 33131-2343
USA

    The Bee Gees were recently in a Special Double Issue of People Weekly Magazine (July 2, 2001 edition with America's Top 50 Bachelors, 5 of which are shown on the cover, George Clooney, Russell Crowe, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett of "Pearl Harbor" fame). Below is the following article, found on page 134 of the above mentioned magazine, all text is copywrited.

    "My new baby," coos Maurice Gibb, cradling his shiny, deluxe-model paintball gun. "Isn't it gorgeous?" He and the eight ninja-clad friends who make up Gibb's Royal Rat Rangers then proceed to stalk and splatter a rival team of Sunday warriors in mock combat at an Opa Locka, Fla., sports complex. Three hours later, Gibb himself gets slimed when a paint cartridge explodes harmlessly on his Plexiglas facemask in a bright pink blob. "Thanks, Robby," he hollers good-naturedly at the shooter. "Bummer! ...Ah, it was a good game!"

    With similar aplomb, Maurice, 51, his twin brother, Robin, and their brother Barry, 54, have weathered the occasional splats and letdowns that have come with being the Bee Gees. True, the British-born trio may be, according to Guinness, the most successful family vocal group in pop history, having sold more than 110 million albums over the past 35 years. (Only Elvis, the Beatles, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney have done better.) And as songwriters they helped Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton and Barbra Streisand all go platinum. ("Barry particularly made it a thoroughly joyful experience," says Streisand of 1980's Guilty.)

    But the brothers' own 40 million-selling megahit, the sound track to 1977's Saturday Night Fever was quickly followed by a 1978 stinker, a Bee Gees-starring film musical of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. And when, at decade's end, the disco craze fizzled, the brothers suddenly found themselves passé. Deejays began declaring Bee Gee-free weekends. "I think it was an unfair rap," says Barry. "There's a lot of wonderful music from that period that we should all be proud of."

    What the band learned from the spotty years that followed, adds Barry, is "that you've got to dust yourself off. " That they have. On their latest album, This Is Where I Came In, a tribute to idols ranging from Noel Coward to the Beatles, "the Bee Gees' voices seem richer now," says Billboard editor Timothy White.

    Their public appearances, though, are rarer. A recent weekend found the Gibbs in Los Angeles. On Friday they taped an interview with Larry King. On Saturday Maurice attended the stage version of Saturday Night Fever. Then, on Sunday, he joined his brothers in a performance at Dodger Stadium, their only concert this year.

    And one of the few times they'll actually be together. " All three of us have pretty much our own lives," says Robin. "We have our own circle of friends. I think you have to. You can't live in each other's pockets."

    But you can, apparently, dwell in the same neighborhood. Since the late '70s, Miami Beach has been home to the brothers, all of whom have divorced and are enjoying second marriages with children. Robin and Dwina, 48, live just down the block from Barry and Linda, 51, while Maurice and Yvonne, 50, reside on a luxury island in nearby Biscayne Bay.

    The Gibb families also maintain houses in England, where Robin, a voracious reader of military and political histories, spends at least half the year with Dwina in a converted 10th-century monastery near Oxford. "I can feel quite creative over there," he says.

    Not so brother Barry, who "keeps mostly to himself," says Steve, 27, the oldest of his five children. "My mom's really his best friend." And when they do socialize, says Steve, it's "mostly with entrepreneur types" rather than musicians.

    "1 don't take the show business part of my life seriously at all," says Barry, "because I know what it does to people. " He's referring, of course, to his youngest brother, Andy, who died at 30 of a heart ailment - a death the others feel was hastened by alcohol and drug abuse. "He's with us everywhere," says Maurice, including the Gibbs' Miami recording studio, where photos of Andy adorn the lobby walls. Maurice, himself a recovering alcoholic for the past 10 years, says, "I just wanted to stop.        

    Andy wasn't quite ready." "We understand each other so well now," says Robin Gibb. "I think that comes with time, not just because we're brothers."

    At least a few of the Gibb clan's offspring appear ready to follow in their fathers' tracks. With the blessing of Las Vegas-based grandmother Barbara, 80, a onetime British band singer {whose bandleader husband, Hugh, died at 73 in 1993), Barry and Linda's son Steve plays guitar in various L.A. hard-rock bands. Maurice and Yvonne's daughter Sami, 20, who fronts her Miami band Skylla, often collaborates on songs with her brother Adam, 25. But the kids may soon find themselves competing with their fathers and Uncle Robin - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees in 1997.

    "Young kids," notes Barry of vintage Bee Gees album sales, "are starting to get into the very early music." And why not? After all, no one could be younger at heart than paintball king Maurice. Playing the game, he says, "You relieve yourself totally of stress. I get home and I go to my AA meeting at night, come home totally wiped out. Sleep like a baby. It starts your whole week off. "

• Steve Dougherty

• Don Sider in Miami Beach