Bee Gees Research Paper

The Bee Gees are a pop music band formed in 1958. The band’s members were brothers Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. Barry Gibb performed vocals and guitar. Maurice Gibb performed vocals, bass, keyboard, guitar and percussion. Robin Gibb performed vocals.

The Bee Gees were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 in the performer category.

The Bee Gees began their careers as a Beatles-inspired pop band that emphasized their unique vocal talents and three-part harmonies. After success in Australia, the brothers return to England in 1967, launching several hit singles, including “To Love Somebody” and “I Started a Joke.”

In the mid-seventies, the Bee Gees dominated airwaves with their radio-friendly records. Hits like “Jive Talkin’” exploited their distinct falsetto and their groove thrived in the growing dance culture. The Bee Gees flourished as pioneers of disco, which joined elements of funk, soul, pop, and salsa. The film Saturday Night Fever, for which the Bee Gees produced most of

the soundtrack, contributed to disco’s rise in popularity. The band had a unique adaptability within the pop scene, but the styles of British pop and R&B were influences that remained consistent.
Some of the Bee Gees’ musical influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, The Mills Brothers, the Hollies, and Otis Redding.

Many artists have cited the Bee Gees as their influences. Queen, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr have praised their talents. Other artists who were influenced by their music include Michael Jackson, George Michael, Billy Joel, David Bowie, Madonna, Destiny’s Child and Elton John. At least 2,500 artists have recorded their songs, including Michael Bolton, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, and Tom Jones. “How Deep is Your Love” is their most covered composition.

The Bee Gees were not only impactful as singers, but as songwriters as well. Together and individually they’ve written and produced hits for Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. Barry Gibb wrote the title song for Grease (1978) which was performed by Frankie

Valli.
Their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is well deserved. The Bee Gees are culturally significant, impacting the evolution and development of rock and roll throughout their six decade career. Disco and their music fought against the stigmatization of dance music and was embraced by several marginalized communities. Despite the backlash against disco in the late-1970s, several rock artists were influenced by artists like the Bee Gees and added disco elements into their own music.
The Bee Gees are one of the most successful groups in music history, selling over 220 million records worldwide. Only Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold them. Writing all their own songs, they are the only group in pop history to write, produce, and record six consecutive chart-topping singles. The soundtrack album Saturday Night Fever (1977) was the top-selling album of all time until Michael Jackson’s Thriller. By the end of the 1970s, the Bee Gees had five albums which had gone platinum.
Barry Gibb is the only surviving member, as Maurice passed away on January 12, 2003, and Robin passed away on May 20, 2012.