Barry Gibb, Bee Gees Frontman, Knighted at Buckingham Palace
Bring on the puns: “Knight Fever,” “Knights on Broadway,” “Lonely Days, Lonely Knights”… Barry Gibb, 71, the Bee Gees’ frontman and possibly the world’s most famous male falsetto singer, was knighted at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Gibb is the last surviving member of the sibling group, which he formed with twin brothers Maurice and Robin in 1958. While often assumed to be Australian, the brothers were all born near Manchester, England, and emigrated with their parents in 1960. The group’s success spanned several decades, beginning in Australia and spreading across the globe in the late 1960s.
After a switch to a more R&B-oriented sound with singles like “Jive Talkin’,” the group became figureheads — and ultimately the whipping boys — of disco thanks to their blockbuster soundtrack to the 1977 film “Saturday Night Fever,” which for many years was the biggest-selling album of all time. The group continued to tour and record, and write and produce for other artists as well. Maurice passed away in 2003 and Robin in 2012.
Gibb remembered his brothers after he was knighted by Prince Charles. “If it was not for my brothers, I would not be here” said Gibb pictured above after the ceremony with his wife, Linda and children, Michael (right), Alexandra and Ashley (left).
Gibb said the honor was “a bit surreal,” although he added, “It is a high award that your culture can give you and that is something I am enormously proud of.”
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