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LONDON – With his carefully tended hair, tight trousers and perfectharmonies, Robin Gibb, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry,defined the disco era. As part of the Bee Gees — short forthe Brothers Gibb — they created dance floor classics like"Stayin Alive," 'Jive Talkin'," and "Night Fever" that can stillget crowds onto a dance floor. The catchy songs, with their falsetto vocals and relentless beat,are familiar pop culture mainstays. There are more than 6,000 coverversions of the Bee Gees hits, and they are still heard on dancefloors and at wedding receptions, birthday parties, and otherfestive occasions. Robin Gibb, 62, died Sunday "following his long battle with cancerand intestinal surgery," his family announced in a statementreleased by Gibb's representative Doug Wright. "The family haveasked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time,"it said. The Bee Gees, born in England but raised in Australia, began theircareer in the musically rich 1960s but it was their soundtrack forthe 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever" that sealed their success.The album's signature sound — some called it "blue-eyed soul"— remains instantly recognizable more than 40 years after itsrelease. The album remains a turning point in popular music history, endingthe hard rock era and ushering in a time when dance music ruledsupreme. It became one of the fastest-selling albums of all timewith its innovative fusion of harmony and pulsing beats. The movielaunched the career of a young John Travolta whose snake-hippedmoves to the sounds of "You Should Be Dancing" established hisreputation as a dancer and forever linked his image to that of theBee Gees. Despite financial success, Robin Gibb and his brothers enduredrepeated tragedies. Maurice died suddenly of intestinal and cardiacproblems in 2003. Their younger brother Andy Gibb, who also enjoyedconsiderable chart success as a solo artist, had died in 1988 justafter turning 30. He suffered from an inflamed heart muscleattributed to a severe viral infection. Robin Gibb himself took care of his health and, at the time of hisdeath, was a vegan who did not drink alcohol. Gibb was for decades a familiar figure on the pop stage, startingout in the 1960s when the Bee Gees were seen as talented Beatlescopycats. They sounded so much like the Beatles at first that therewere strong rumors that the Bee Gees' singles were really theBeatles performing under another name. Many late-'60s bands were quickly forgotten, but the Bee Geestransformed themselves into an enduring A-List powerhouse with thealmost unbelievable, and certainly unexpected, success of the song"Stayin' Alive" and others from the "Saturday Night Fever"soundtrack that accompanied the movie. With this second wind, the Bee Gees sold more than 200 millionrecords and had a long string of successful singles, making theirway into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Saturday Night Fever" — actually a compilation albumfeaturing the Bee Gees but including songs by other performers— represented the pinnacle of Gibb's career, but he enjoyedmore than 40 years of prominence as a Bee Gee, as a solo artist,and as a songwriter and producer for other artists. The Bee Gees consisted of Barry Gibb, the eldest, and twins RobinGibb and Maurice Gibb. Their three-part harmonies became theirmusical signature, particularly in the disco phase, when Barry'smatchless falsetto often dominated, and they were renowned fortheir wide-ranging songwriting and producing skills. The Gibbs were born in England on the Isle of Man, an island in theIrish Sea, but moved to Australia with their parents in 1958 whenthey were still quite young and began their musical career there.They had been born into a musical family, with a father who was adrummer and bandleader and a mother who liked to sing. After several hits in Australia, their career started to reallytake off when they returned to England in 1967 and linked up withpromoter Robert Stigwood. After several hits and successful albums, Robin Gibb left the groupin 1969 after a series of disagreements, some focusing on whetherhe or Barry should be lead vocalist. He released some successfulsolo material — most notably "Saved by the Bell" —before rejoining his brothers in 1970 and scoring a major hit with"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart." The Gibbs then suffered some slack years — searching for astyle that could sustain them in the post-Beatles era — andBarry Gibb started experimenting with falsetto vocals, first onbackup, and then in the lead position. The brothers were at a low point when they went into a Frenchstudio to try to come up with some songs for the "Saturday NightFever" soundtrack at the urging of Stigwood. The success of those tunes — closely linked to the popularityof the movie, and the power of the disco movement — changedtheir lives forever, giving them a string of number one hits. After several years of chart success, the Gibbs spent much of the1980s writing songs and producing records for other artists,working closely with top talents such as Barbra Streisand, DionneWarwick, Diana Ross and Dolly Parton. They also continued touringand releasing their own records. Gibb also released more solo albums, including "Secret Agent,"during this period. The band continued in the 1990s, gaining recognition for their bodyof work with induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and theRock and Roll Hall of Fame. Then came Maurice's sudden death in 2003. The surviving brothersannounced that the name Bee Gees would be retired with MauriceGibb's death, although Robin and Barry did collaborate on projectsand Robin Gibb continued his solo career and extensive touringdespite mounting health problems. He had to cancel several engagements in 2011, including one withBritish Prime Minister David Cameron, and he showed an alarmingweight loss on his rare public appearances. He was hospitalizedbriefly in 2011 with what doctors said was an inflamed colon andhad surgery for intestinal problems in March, 2012. One of his final projects was "The Titanic Requiem," a classicalwork he co-wrote with his son Robin-John, that the RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra premiered in April to mark the 100thanniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Robin Gibb remained emotionally attached to the Isle of Man,keeping a house there as well as homes in rural Oxfordshire,England, and Miami. He also became involved with numerous charities and worked toestablish a permanent memorial to the veterans of Britain's WorldWar II Bomber Command and recorded songs honoring British veterans. Gibb is survived by his second wife, Dwina, and four children, aswell as his older brother, fellow Bee Gee Barry Gibb, and hissister Lesley Evans, who lives in Australia. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Tension Lock , China Refrigerator Door Lock for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Refrigerator Door Hinges.
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