The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Bee Gees are a musical group that was originally made up of three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a harmonic "soft rock" act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a foremost act of the disco music era in the late 1970s.

The group sang three-part tight harmonies that were instantly recognisable; Robin's clear vibrato lead was a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the late 1970s and 1980s. The brothers co-wrote all of their own hits, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists.

Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the Gibb brothers lived their first few years in Chorlton, Manchester, England, then moved in the late 1950s to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, where they began their musical careers. After achieving their first chart success in Australia with "Spicks and Specks" (their 12th single), they returned to the United Kingdom in January 1967 where producer Robert Stigwood began promoting them to a worldwide audience.

It has been estimated that the Bee Gees' career record sales total more than 220 million,making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997;the presenter of the award to "Britain's first family of harmony" was Brian Wilson, historical leader of the Beach Boys, a "family act" also featuring three harmonizing brothers.The Bee Gees' Hall of Fame citation says "Only Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees".

Following Maurice's sudden death in January 2003, Barry and Robin Gibb ended the group after 45 years of activity. In 2009, however, Robin announced that he and Barry had agreed that the Bee Gees would reform and perform again.

"Stayin' Alive" is a disco song from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on December 13, 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It is one of their signature songs.

Upon release, Stayin' Alive climbed the charts, hitting the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of February 4, 1978, and staying there for four weeks. In the process, it became one of the band's most recognizable tunes, in part because of its place at the beginning of Saturday Night Fever.