The three Gibb brothers--Barry, Robin and Maurice--were born into the business and often backed their bandleader father while still teenagers. The experience turned them into veteran singers and writers that possessed unusual versatility.

Barry was the main songwriter of the group and had already a few hit singles under his belt in the boys' native Australia. A record contract brought the brothers to England, where they changed the name of their group from the Brothers Gibb to the Bee Gees and released Bee Gees' First.

The 1967 album was entirely written by the Gees and one of the songs, "New York Mining Disaster 1941" garnered them attention in both England and America. The song was reminiscent of earlier Beatles tunes but the brothers were more than a mere cover band. Their next single, "To Love Somebody," was a sweet soul ballad and reached the Top 20.

From soul, beat and rock, the Gees turned to psychedelia next, infusing 1969 album Odessa with meandering orchestral sounds. The singles from that time--"Holiday," "Words," "I've Got a Message for You"--all became international hits, spending several weeks in the Billboard Charts.

After Robin's departure from the group, the remaining Gees released Cucumber Castle, but after a couple of years the wayward brother came back to complete the trio. The early 70s were filled with hits for the group, including the #5 "Lonely Days" and the #1 smash "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?"

The Bee Gees had settled on a pop ballad sound but in no way were they in a rut. Experimenting with American soul music and disco dance beats, the album Main Course produced more top hits for the brothers. Disco was the name of the game by that time and the Bee Gees released Children of the World in 1976, filled with beat-driven dance tunes.

Superstardom arrived the next year when the group wrote and performed several songs for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, with three #1 hits in a row. The disco anthems "Night Fever," "How Deep Is Your Love" and of course, "Stayin' Alive" became wildly popular all over the world.

In addition to their singing, the Gibbs did considerable side business as songwriters and producers, creating several #1 hits for other singers like Frankie Valli and Yvonne Elliman. When younger brother Andy came aboard, the group set up camp in the #1 spot of the charts and didn't budge for a long, long time.

In the 1980s and beyond, the brothers concentrated their efforts on writing and producing music with top names in the industry like Diana Ross and Kenny Rogers. Their numerous smash hit are still covered by contemporary bands today and they have been deservedly inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame.