Andy Gibb ( Manchester , 5 March as as 1958 – OXFORD , October as March as 1988 ). British singer, very popular in the seventies . Younger brother of the three members of the musical group Bee Gees .
Summary
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- 1 Biographical synthesis
- 2 Artistic career
- 3 Death
- 4 Posthumous Tribute
- 5 Discography
- 6 Sources
Biographical synthesis
He was born in the city of Manchester (England). Son of Barbara Mary Pass and Hugh Leslie Gibb, he was the youngest of five siblings. From a very young age, he was introduced to music like his other three brothers, whom he admired and followed very closely. Lesley was his older sister. Robin Hugh , Maurice Ernest and Barry Alan Crompton are his older brothers.
His family migrated to Australia when he was just a few months old. While still very young he began to play in tourist clubs around the island of Ibiza . The idea of joining the Bee Geesy was always suggested to him very often, but the age difference he had with his siblings formed a very big gap (almost twelve years younger than Barry and more than eight than twins Robin and Maurice) and this was one of the great reasons why it never materialized.
Artistic career
Andy Gibb became the first solo artist to have three consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1977, he had his biggest hit, I Just Want to Be Your Everything , a song written by his brother Barry, just when his first International album, Flowing Rivers reached the Top 20, selling over a million copies.
The second single from the album (Love Is) Thicker Than Water broke the commercial explosion caused by the contributions of its brothers from the Saturday Night Fever OST in early 1978 , replacing Stayin ‘Alive at the top of the US chart.
Andy began working with the Gibb-Galuten-Richardson production team on their second album Shadow Dancing . The single of the same name from the album, written by the four Gibb brothers, was released in the United States in April 1978, and in mid-June reached the top spot, staying for seven weeks and receiving Platinum status . Two Top Ten songs, An Everlasting Love and (Our Love) Don’t Throw It All Away , a cover of an earlier version by his brothers, were excerpted from the album and released as singles, becoming another million-copy sale.
Death
Leaving his family behind, he travels to England to secure rights to more songs and stays at Robin’s mansion in Thame , Oxfordshire . That’s when alcohol takes a turn in your life and you fall ill. On March 7, 1988, Andy was admitted to John Radcliffe Hospital with severe stomach pains.
Andy Gibb died three days later of myocarditis, a sudden inflammation of the heart muscle caused by a viral infection. Although he abused cocaine and alcohol for years , they did not directly cause his death, they only aggravated his condition.
His body was returned to Los Angeles , California , for burial at Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery. A Methodist ceremony was performed and his body is next to that of his father Hugh Roy Gibb, in the same mausoleum.
Posthumous Tribute
The Bee Gees would dedicate his 1989 studio album One to Andy , featuring the ballad Wish You Were Here , which the brothers wrote for him shortly after his death. During their tours, in every recital for ten long years they mention Andy, but in a concert in 1997, Las Vegas , One Night Only they do a cover of (Our Love) Don’t Throw It All Away with a special guest … the voice Of Andy, of course the public did not understand anything, they only fell silent thus enjoying once again the voice of the missing brother. The Bee Gees released it to a live album of that name that same year.
Discography
- 1977: Flowing Rivers
- 1978: Shadow Dancing
- 1980: After Dark, RSO
- 1980: Andy Gibb’s Greatest Hits
- 1991: Andy Gibb(Polydor)
- 2001: Andy Gibb: Millennium(Polydor)
