Maurice Gibb
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Maurice Gibb
Biography
Known mostly for his work in the pop/rock supergroup the Bee Gees with his older brother, Barry, and twin brother, Robin, Maurice Gibb was the harmony vocalist and bass player. He was also married to British pop superstar Lulu for a few years in the early '70s. Generally appearing as himself, most of his film and television credits are for his work as a composer and songwriter for a wide variety of productions, including composing the score for the movie A Breed Apart. His earliest television work dates to 1965 for several appearances on Beat-Club, which was a kind of American Bandstand for the U.K. He made his film debut in the little-seen documentary Popcorn, appearing along with fellow musical stars Joe Cocker and Jimi Hendrix. In 1970, he and brother Barry Gibb wrote the short-lived British TV show Cucumber Castle, starring himself as Prince Marmaduke, King of Jelly. In perhaps his most recognizable roles and songs, he and the other bandmembers wrote the music and appeared as singers in the movies Saturday Night Fever and Staying Alive, both starring John Travolta. In 1978, the Bee Gees played a Beatles-derived band in the ill-fated movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, along with fellow superstars of the time Peter Frampton and Aerosmith. The late '90s saw a resurgence of public attention on the the Bee Gees, and he made numerous television, film, and guest-starring appearances. He spent his later years with his wife Yvonne and two children in Florida, where he opened a paintball shop called Commander Mo's. He died of cardiac arrest in Miami Beach, FL, on January 12, 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, RoviFilmography:
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Maurice Gibb
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Maurice Gibb
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Maurice Gibb is most closely associated with the Bee Gees, the brother act that he co-founded with his siblings Barry Gibb, three years his senior, and Robin Gibb, a fraternal twin born two hours older than Maurice. In contrast to Barry and Robin, who have shared and alternated the spotlight as lead vocalists, Maurice (pronounced "Morris" in British English) has been almost exclusively a backing vocalist for his four-decade career, providing a key part of the harmony singing for his brothers. In less overtly visible ways, however, he has been essential to the group's sound from the beginning of their recording career -- in addition to sharing arranging chores with his brothers and playing bass on most of their recordings, and in most of the group's live performances for much of their history, he has also played guitar, piano, organ, and Mellotron on their recordings, and even occasionally the drums on their demos. He is also regarded as the trio's resident comedian, with a cunning sense of humor, and a keen appreciation of practical jokes when they were growing up that he reportedly hasn't entirely outgrown as an adult.Gibb's voice is the least familiar to the public, concentrated as it usually is on backup and harmony singing. The major exception arose during the 1969 split between Robin Gibb and his two brothers, when Barry and Maurice carried on as a two-man version of the Bee Gees. Cucumber Castle, the one album that they completed together before the two of them, in turn, parted company, included a delightful African-flavored number entitled "I.O.I.O.," which featured Maurice intoning the title throughout, as far forward in the mix as Barry Gibb's lead. Maurice Gibb did begin work on a solo LP, and released a single, "Railroad," co-authored by Billy Lawrie, a songwriter and singer, and also the brother of the British pop/rock legend Lulu, who became Maurice's wife in 1969. Gibb handled all of the vocals on the single, covering the high harmonies and the lead in a manner that was impossible not to compare with the Bee Gees -- he later described it as "anticlimactic" on the album Tales from the Brothers Gibb, but he did begin work on a solo LP to have been called "The Loner."
He worked for three months with Billy Lawrie playing and singing, and with guitarist Les Harvey of Stone the Crows, drummer Geoff Bridgeford, and John Coleman and Gerry Shurry, the latter three members of the Australian band Tin Tin -- whose 1970 debut album Maurice Gibb had produced -- filling out what instruments Gibb didn't wish to play himself. Good friend Ringo Starr also participated in the sessions, with Lulu joining in as well, which, alas, only yielded one released song, "The Loner." Recorded by Gibb and Lawrie, it was credited to "The Bloomfields" and appeared on the soundtrack of the movie Bloomfield (aka The Hero), starring Richard Harris, and was also released on the Pye Records soundtrack LP to the film.
Like the other solo albums begun by his brothers in 1970, Maurice Gibb's LP was never released officially, though large parts of it have appeared on bootlegs over the years. Later in the same year, he and his brothers were able to patch up their differences and resume working together, and there's been little serious talk of "The Loner" ever being issued since then. Gibb was just as vital a part of the group, as a singer and musician, in its post-1970 comeback phase as he had been in their late-'60s era, despite such distractions as his disintegrating marriage to Lulu and periodic problems with alcoholism. He surrendered some of his bass playing chores later in the '70s, but recovered from the alcoholism that afflicted him during this period, and by 1984 was recording solo again. In addition to the single "Hold Her in Your Hand," he wrote and recorded the score to Philippe Mora's A Breed Apart in collaboration with arranger/conductor Jimmie Haskell. He later wrote a score (subsequently rejected) for The Supernaturals and played a small role in the movie as well. Gibb's second marriage, to the former Yvonne Spencerley, has lasted for two decades and reportedly played an essential role in getting him through subsequent difficult periods, including a relapse into alcoholism following the death of his youngest brother, Andy Gibb, in 1988, and the death of his father that same year. His recovery allowed the trio to resume their work together, including the recording of the 1989 album One, which included their comeback American hit with the title track. In January 2003, while receiving treatment for an intestinal blockage, Maurice Gibb suffered cardiac arrest and died. He was 53. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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Maurice Gibb
Not to be confused with Maurie Gibb.
| Maurice Gibb | |
|---|---|
_-_TopPop_1973.png) Maurice Gibb performing on AVRO's TopPop (a Dutch television show) in 1973 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maurice Ernest Gibb |
| Born | 22 December 1949 Douglas, Isle of Man |
| Origin | Raised in: Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England Moved to: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Died | 12 January 2003 (aged 53) Miami Beach, Florida, US |
| Genres | Pop, rock, soft rock, adult contemporary, blue-eyed soul, disco, funk |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards |
| Years active | 1958–2003 |
| Labels | Polydor |
| Associated acts | Bee Gees |
| Notable instruments | |
| Rickenbacker 4001 | |
Maurice Ernest Gibb, CBE (22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the twin brother of Robin Gibb and younger brother to Barry. He is best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees, formed with his brothers. Their younger brother Andy was a popular solo singer. 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 ever.
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Contents
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Biography
Born Maurice Ernest Gibb to Barbara (née Pass) and Hugh Gibb (d.1992) on the Isle of Man, Maurice was the fraternal twin brother of Robin Gibb, and the younger of the two by 35 minutes. The fourth-born of five children, he had one older sister, Lesley (b. 1945), and three brothers, Barry (b. 1946), twin Robin (1949–2012), and Andy (1958–1988). In the 1950s, the family moved to Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, England, then in late 1958, they moved to Brisbane, Australia, settling in one of the city's poorest suburbs, Cribb Island, which was subsequently demolished to make way for the Brisbane Airport.
Gibb was married to the Scottish pop star Lulu from 1969 to 1973. Their careers and his heavy drinking forced them apart and they divorced, childless, in 1973.[1] Gibb later stated they both drank: "We didn't have any responsibilities, we'd just party." [2] He married his second wife Yvonne Spencely on 17 October 1975. They had two children: Adam and Samantha. Their marriage lasted until his death.[3]
Maurice's alcoholic nadir came when he pulled a gun on his wife and kids after a month long bender.[2] She left him and immediately went over to brother Barry's house, refusing to come back until he had done something about his drinking. Maurice went into rehab, calling Yvonne telling her he was going to stay because he really wanted to stop drinking. She said that was the call she had been waiting for.[2]
Gibb said he had battled the booze since the seventies when John Lennon gave him his first drink, which was a Whiskey and Coke: "If he had given me cyanide, I would have drunk the cyanide, I was so in awe of the man."[2] With Ringo Starr as his neighbour the two of them would go out drinking. It got to the point where he became unreliable and prior to going onstage would have to feel his way along the wall to get there, according to Barry.[2]
After rehab Maurice started to rediscover his family again, spending quality time with them. To celebrate this, he and Yvonne renewed their wedding vows in 1992. The ceremony was attended not only by many members of their families but many of the friends Gibb made whilst at the rehabilitation centre.[2]
Gibb also loved the sport of paintball, and had a team which he called the Royal Rat Rangers, a reference to his being named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), and to his time at the Little River AA group, where the members referred to each other as "river rats." He promoted the sport at every opportunity, and opened a paintball equipment shop, "Commander Mo's Paintball Shop," in North Miami Beach, Florida.
Death
Maurice Gibb died at a Miami Beach, Florida, hospital on 12 January 2003 of complications resulting from a twisted intestine (volvulus).[4] His brothers Barry and Robin retired the name Bee Gees for a time, declining to perform as a group.[5] As time passed, they decided to perform occasionally under the Bee Gees banner.[6] On 20 May 2012, his fraternal twin Robin Gibb died of liver and kidney failure[7]. Older brother Barry is now the sole surviving member of the famed Bee Gee brothers.
Career
Main article: Bee Gees
Maurice Gibb's role in the group focused on melody and arrangements. He sang harmony and backing vocals, and played a variety of instruments. Very early on in 1965 and 1966 he played lead guitar, but as early as 1966 he was playing other keyboard and string instruments in the studio. Bee Gees records from 1967 to 1972 are dominated by Maurice playing piano and bass guitar, along with mellotron ("Every Christian Lion Hearted Man" and "Kilburn Towers"), rhythm guitar (along with Barry), and other parts. The piano on songs like "Words" and "Lonely Days" is the Maurice Gibb sound. On stage he usually played bass guitar, with an additional musician taking bass when Maurice switched to piano. Maurice was less influential in the disco Bee Gees sound of 1975 to 1979, when he played mostly bass guitar.[8] After that time for the last 20 years of his life he played primarily electronic keyboard instruments on stage and in the studio, but occasional lead guitar (including the acoustic guitar given to him by John Lennon, which Maurice used on "This Is Where I Came In", 2001).[9] In the reunited Bee Gees from 1987 onward, Maurice was the group's resident expert on all technical phases of recording, and he coordinated musicians and engineers to create much of the group's sound.
As a songwriter, Maurice contributed mainly to melody, with his brothers writing the lyrics that they would sing on the finished song (for the most part). It is difficult to identify his contributions because the songs were so shaped to the singer, but his brothers' continued writing collaboration with him on solo projects shows how much they relied on him. Maurice sang lead on average one song per album. He was sometimes known as "the quiet one" for his less obvious contributions to the group, but privately he was a good teller of stories who immensely enjoyed talking with fans. His reputation as a mild-mannered stabilising influence with two very ambitious brothers continued through his life.[10] His comic personality shone on stage during Bee Gees concerts when the brothers would perform an acoustic medley. Many times during the song "Holiday", Maurice would mock Robin while he was singing or pretend he was bored (Maurice did not sing on the original record).
Away from the Bee Gees, Maurice recorded an unreleased solo album called The Loner in 1970. He also appeared in a short-lived West End of London musical, Sing a Rude Song written by Caryl Brahms and Ned Sherrin that same year. In 1972, Maurice produced Jimmy Stevens' album Don't Freak Me Out (called Paid My Dues in the United States).[10] During the Bee Gees hiatus in the mid-1980s, he worked with both Barry and Robin on their solo projects, and did some instrumental writing and recording including the soundtrack for the film A Breed Apart. In 1986, Gibb produced and co-wrote an entire album for Swedish singer Carola. Of these and other projects, the only work released under his own name were two singles: "Railroad" in 1970 and "Hold Her in Your Hand" in 1984.[9]
Maurice's last project was to produce an album's worth of songs written and sung by his daughter Samantha, which finally appeared in 2005 under the name M E G—Maurice's initials.[11]
Awards
In 1994, Maurice Gibb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 1997 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[12] His catalogue is published by BMG Music Publishing.
In 2002, Maurice was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), along with his brothers, but the awards were not presented until 2004, after Maurice's death; his son Adam accompanied Barry and Robin to Buckingham Palace for the ceremony, representing his father.[13][14]
On 10 July 2009, Maurice was posthumously made a Freeman of the Borough of Douglas. The award, was also bestowed on Robin and Barry, therefore confirming the freedom of the town of their birth to all three brothers.[15]
Discography
Albums:
- 1970: The Loner (unreleased)
- 1981: Strings and Things (unreleased)
- 1984: A Breed Apart (unreleased)
Singles:
- 1970: "Railroad"
- 1984: "Hold Her in Your Hand"
- 2001: "The Bridge" (unreleased)
Film Scores:
- 1984: A Breed Apart, included several versions of the songs, "Hold Her In Your Hand" and "On Time".
Musicals:
- 1970: Sing A Rude Song
Productions:
- 1970: Tin Tin; Tin Tin.[16]
- 1971: Tin Tin; Astral Taxi.
- 1979: Osmonds; Steppin' Out.
- 1986: Carola; Runaway.
- 2005: MEG
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maurice Gibb |
- ^ "Maurice Gibb – Obituaries, News". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/maurice-gibb-601289.html. Retrieved 5 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Woman's Day Australia, 3 October, 1992. "Maurice Gibb: Demon Drink", page 8.
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0316465/bio
- ^ CandiottI, Susan (16 January 2003). "Gibb autopsy cites twisted intestine". CNN. http://articles.cnn.com/2003-01-16/entertainment/gibb.autopsy_1_maurice-gibb-autopsy-cardiac-arrest?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ D'Angelo, Joe. "Bee Gees Name To Be Retired, Robin Gibb Says". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459623/20030122/bee_gees.jhtml. Retrieved 10 December 2009.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (8 September 2009). "Bee Gees to re-form for live comeback". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/sep/08/bee-gees-re-form. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- ^ "Gibb died from kidney, liver failure". Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/27/gibb-died-from-kidney-liver-failure. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
- ^ David Leaf, "Bee Gees / The Authorized Biography", 1979.
- ^ a b Album credits.
- ^ a b Melinda Bilyeu, Hector Cook, Andrew Môn Hughes, The Bee Gees / Tales of the Brothers Gibb. London: Omnibus, 2001.
- ^ M. E. G.
- ^ Steve Dougherty (2 July 2001). "Stayin' Afloat". People (magazine). http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20134801,00.html. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Honours in the music world". BBC News. 31 December 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1734559.stm. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
- ^ "Surviving Bee Gees collect CBEs". BBC News. 27 May 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3753699.stm. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
- ^ Bee Gees receive honorary Freedom of the Borough
- ^ Including the No.20 Billboard USA hit Toast and Marmalade for Tea.
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Mentioned in
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(Rock Artist, '70s)
Tin Tin
(Rock Band, '70s)
The Bloomfields
(Rock Band, '70s)
Bee Gees: One for All Tour, Vol. 1
(1989 Music Film)
Bee Gees: One for All Tour, Vol. 2
(1989 Music Film)
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