The Bee Gees have sold more than 120 million records worldwide and are legendary in the music industry thanks to smash hits including Stayin’ Alive, Night Fever, How Deep Is Your Love, Massachusetts – with a back catalogue too huge to list.
The group, who were born in the Isle of Man and raised in Manchester, rose to prominence back in the late 60s and were a mainstay in the charts throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s, with their own tracks as well as those for other artists.But despite their global fame, the brothers Gibb – Barry, Robin and Maurice, went by a name which to this day causes mass confusion amongst their fanbase, sparking various social media discussions.
A Quora user recently asked: “Why were the Bee Gees called the Bee Gees?” And the answer can be found on the band’s website, which explains that the moniker has evolved over the years, having been different when the group started out. The site states: “Though it is widely believed that the Bee Gees first got their name from being the Brothers Gibb, this meaning did not come until a few years after their founding.
“When the brothers relocated to Australia in 1958, they began performing on the radio with friends Bill Goode and Bill Gates. The group’s name was originally The BG’s – derived from the shared initials between Barry Gibb, Bill Goode, and Bill Gates. The name then morphed from The BG’s to the Bee Gees which eventually came to mean the Brothers Gibb!”
The Gibbs moved to Queensland, Australia, in the late 1950s and after achieving success down under, the brothers returned to the UK in the sixties and quickly became global music icons, particularly with their groundbreaking album ‘Saturday Night Fever’ in 1977, which landed them five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, reports MEN.
The origins of the Bee Gees’ name has sparked debate among fans on Quora. One user wrote: “Do not know how true it is but when the Bee Gees came out they talked on the radio about BG standing for Brothers Gibb and they just spelled out Bee and Gee.”
Another suggested: “Originally it was believed to be to do with their surname. That is to say Brothers Gibb, hence BG’s (Bee Gees.) Apparently it was said the band was named by an Australian DJ, whose promoter was called Bill Goode plus Barry Gibb’s name which formed the band’s name!”
A third remarked: “The name is a phonetic spelling of the letters BG (Brothers Gibb). Of course, Robin and Maurice Gibb are both deceased now. Not Barry Gibb, he’s staying alive.”