This pop music trio that consisted of brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb was formed in 1958. They were born on the Isle of Man during the 1940s and later on lived in Chorlton, Manchester in England. After they first established a rock and roll group named The Rattlesnakes in 1955, their family moved to Queensland, Australia, and later relocated to Cribb Island. Playing along with Bee Gees chords is a great way to learn funky disco tunes.
When the group celebrated their first success with their single “Spicks and Specks,” they went back to the U.K. in 1967 where their sound would soon bring them international recognition. With over 120 million records sold worldwide, the Bee Gees are one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. They come third in the list of most Billboard Hot 100 number one singles, after The Beatles and The Supremes. Their immense success has led to them being induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Kings of disco
The Bee Gees’ music covers the full spectrum of pop, soul, disco, rock and soft rock. A range of styles, including American country music and soul, influenced their tunes. While the peak of their fame was in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the chords of one of their most famous songs “Stayin’ Alive” are still very much present in our heads today. The group didn’t just write all of their own hits, but also assisted other artists in their creative processes and wrote songs for them. Both critics and fellow artists refer to the brothers as the Kings of Disco.
However, in 1969 the trio split up caused by a dispute over the Odessa album. Robin left, but Barry and Maurice held on to the Bee Gees. After they decided to get back together in 1970, they produced two of their most legendary songs: “Lonely Days” (which was also their first number one hit in America) and “Morning of My Life.” The chords of the latter Bee Gees track turned out to be so catchy that the group still played them at their shows decades later.
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Yet, during the 1970s their success declined. The group experienced a creative crisis and fell into a commercial hole. The brothers took Eric Clapton’s advice and collaborated with Arif Mardin who helped them produce their album Mr. Natural, which also contains their single “Jive Talking” that catapulted the Bee Gees back to the top of the American charts.
In the process of arranging the chords for some of their most famous singles, such as “Night Fever” and “How Deep Is Your Love,” the Bee Gees contributed heavily to the disco movement that was born in the U.S. during the 1970s. Sadly, Barry is the only one of the brothers that’s still alive today. Maurice died in 2003 and Robin passed away in 2012 after being diagnosed with cancer.
