The Bee Gees may not be together anymore, but nobody can deny the pop group played one of the most important roles in the development of America’s music culture in the 1960s and 1970s. Here, we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about the Bee Gees. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: Maurice Gibb Was Really Good at Paintball. He even had his own team – The Royal Rat Rangers. Gibb liked to be called “Commander Mo'”, and he even opened up his own shop devoted to paintball equipment. The shop was called Commander Mo’s Paintball Shop.
Number Fourteen: Maurice Gibb Was Also an Alcoholic. Gibb led quite a self-destructive life, which was not helped by his marriage to Scottish singer Lulu. He even pulled a gun on his wife and children after a bender that lasted a month.
Number Thirteen: Cucumber Castle Was Made as a Duo. The Bee Gees’ seventh studio album was made as a duo after Robin Gibb left for a temporary hiatus. However, the entire group was reunited in 1971.
Number Twelve: They Lived at the Airport. The Gibb family moved to Brisbane, and they were living in one of its poorest suburbs at the time. The suburb was demolished because Brisbane Airport was being built there.
Number Eleven: Barry Gibb Nearly Died as a Child. When Barry Gibb was just 18 months old, hot tea was spilled on him and he nearly died from the burn. He was in critical condition, but he eventually made it.
Number Ten: They Are the Most Successful Australian Act in the United States. In 1971, the Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” was the first Australian single to top the U.S. charts. Today, the Bee Gees have had nine chart toppers, making them the most successful Australian act in the U.S.
Number Nine: The Origin of the Name May Not Be What You Think. Though many people think the Bee Gees are named for the “brothers Gibb,” they were actually named when a racetrack promoter named Bill Goode introduced them to a DJ named Bill Gates. Gates used both men’s initials to come up with the name “Bee Gees.”