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Robin Hugh Gibb CBE (born December 22, 1949) is a singer and songwriter. He was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, to English parents, the twin brother of Maurice Gibb (1949-2003), and younger brother to Barry. He is best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees. The trio got their start in Australia, and found major success when they returned to England. The Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time.
Son of Hugh and Barbara Gibb, he grew up with his two brothers in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England until the Gibbs moved to Redcliffe, Australia in 1958, shortly after the birth of Andy Gibb, youngest of the Gibb brothers. They settled in as they went to school at the local public school Humpybong State School. Their music careers began in Australia, and flourished when they returned to England in 1967 and were spotted by Robert Stigwood.
Traditionally, Robin's role in the group has been that of lead singer, for which he vied constantly with his elder brother Barry Gibb during the group's first period of British success in the late 1960s. This eventually resulted in Robin leaving the group to begin a solo career after his song "Lamplight" was relegated to the 'B' side of Barry's "First of May". Meanwhile, there were rumours of drug problems, and his parents threatened to have him made a ward of court (the UK age of consent at that time being 21, and Robin then only 19).
Although initially successful, with a number 2 hit, "Saved by the Bell", his album, Robin's Reign, was less successful and he found that being a solo artist was less than satisfying. He reunited with his brothers, who had disbanded the Bee Gees in search of their own solo careers, when Robert Stigwood created RSO records in 1970. The initial post-reunion albums Two Years On, Trafalgar and To Whom It May Concern suggested that the rift had not totally healed, with an element of split songwriting teams, Barry on the one hand and Robin and Maurice on the other together with different music publishers, in contrast to a uniform construction before the split. Only when they relocated to Los Angeles to record Life In A Tin Can did it appear that they were as one on disk. Upon reinventing themselves with "Blue-Eyed Soul" the Bee Gees went on to their second period of phenomenal success in the disco-era late 1970s.
While continuing in the group, Robin also promoted his solo career, and during the 1980s he released three further solo albums (How Old Are You, Secret Agent, and Walls Have Eyes) which were more successful in Continental Europe than in the UK or USA. However, his 1984 single "Boys Do Fall in Love" did reach the Billboard top 40.
In the same month as his twin brother Maurice's sudden death, Robin's next solo album, Magnet, was released in Germany on January 27, 2003 (Label: SPV), and worldwide shortly afterwards. It features the old Bee Gees classic "Wish You Were Here" in a new acoustic version. With Maurice's death, his two surviving brothers Robin and Barry announced that they would no longer perform as the Bee Gees.
Robin has recently sung the vocals to the opening titles to "The Dame Edna Treatment"
In August 2003, Robin announced that he would be releasing a new single of "My Lover's Prayer", a song first recorded by the Bee Gees in 1997, with vocals by Robin, Wanya Morris, and Lance Bass. This was played on radio, but was never actually released. In October 2003 another version was recorded as a duet with Alistair Griffin, runner-up in the UK television program Fame Academy, on which Robin had appeared as a judge. My Lover's Prayer, credited as "Alistair Griffin featuring Robin Gibb", was eventually released in the UK in January 2004 as a double A side single, together with Griffin's solo recording of "Bring It On". It reached number 5 in the UK charts. The duet was also on Griffin's debut album Bring It On which charted at number 12.
In January 2005 Robin joined his brother Barry and several other artists under the collective name of One World Project, to record a charity single in aid of Asian tsunami relief, titled "Grief Never Grows Old". Other artists who performed on the single included Boy George, Steve Winwood, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Sir Cliff Richard, Bill Wyman, America, Kenny Jones, Chicago, Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys), Russell Watson and Davy Spillane.
In June 2005 Gibb joined X Factor runners up G4 at a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, singing the Bee Gees song "First of May" . A recording of this performance was released in December 2005 as part of a double A side single, credited as "G4 feat Robin Gibb" together with G4's own cover of Johnny Mathis' "When a Child is Born". This track was also included on the platinum selling album G4 & Friends which reached number 6 in the UK album charts.
In November 2006, Robin released an album of Christmas carols called Robin Gibb - My Favourite Carols, backed by London choir The Serlo Consort. The album also features a brand new song written by Robin called "Mother of Love", which was released in Europe as a download single. The song was inspired by Maurice Gibb, and is the first new Robin Gibb composition to be published since his twin brother died in January 2003. Royalties of Mother of Love will be donated to the "Janki Foundation for Global Healthcare", and Robin dedicated the song to Dadi Janki, the organisation's spiritual leader. It is also dedicated to Robin's own mother, Barbara Gibb. The album also has a bonus DVD titled A Personal Christmas Moment with Robin Gibb.
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