The Bee Gees, the musical trio of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, have achieved staggering global sales, selling over 120 million records. They climbed the ladder to stardom from the swinging 60s right through to the flashy 80s, belting out original bangers as well as massive hits for other performers.
Among their chart-smashing tracks are ‘Stayin’ Alive’, ‘Night Fever’, ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, and a whole medley more like ‘Massachusetts’, ‘More Than a Woman’, ‘You Should Be Dancing’, and ‘Don’t Forget to Remember’. Despite being household names, quite a few music buffs don’t really get the story behind their catchy name, sparking banter across the net.
A curious soul on Quora popped the question: “Why were the Bee Gees called the Bee Gees? ” Hopping over to their official web page reveals that the Bee Gees handle didn’t just pop up overnight but evolved with time, kicking off under a different banner. Their site clarifies: “Though it is widely believed that the Bee Gees first got their name from being the Brothers Gibb, this meaning did not come until a few years after their founding.”
The plot thickens when you find out that after moving to Oz in 1958, the bros started rocking the airwaves alongside mates Bill Goode and Bill Gates.
Initially called The BG’s – taking initials from Barry Gibb, Bill Goode, and Bill Gates – the brand eventually took the shape of ‘the Bee Gees’, becoming an homage to the Brothers Gibb, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The Gibb brothers, hailing from the Isle of Man, spent their early years in Chorlton, Manchester, before making a move to Redcliffe, Queensland, Australia in the late 1950s. After making a name for themselves Down Under, they returned to the UK during the vibrant sixties and took the world’s music stage by storm under the guidance of showbiz whizz Robert Stigwood.
Their crowning glory came with the release of ‘Saturday Night Fever’ in 1977, a disco sensation that bagged them five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. Fans on Quora have been having a chinwag about the origins of the Bee Gees’ moniker.
One user threw in: “Do not know how true it is but when the Bee Gees came out they talked on the radio about BG standing for Brothers Gibb and they just spelled out Bee and Gee.”
Another chimed in: “Originally it was believed to be to do with their surname. That is to say Brothers Gibb, hence BG’s( Bee Gees.) Apparently it was said the band was named by an Australian DJ, whose promoter was called Bill Goode plus Barry Gibb’s name which formed the band’s name! “. A third added their two cents: “The name is a phonetic spelling of the letters BG (Brothers Gibb). Of course, Robin and Maurice Gibb are both deceased now. Not Barry Gibb, he’s staying alive.”
