Barry Gibb, one of the most prolific singers, songwriters and producers in music history, will perform his first U.S. solo concert at Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on February 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 27 at 1 p.m.
The oldest brother of the Bee Gees, Barry Gibb the group’s founder was a driving force behind the dozens of popular hits and the 100 million records sold that have earned the brothers Gibb every imaginable individual and group honor the music world has to offer.
Barry Gibb is the second all-time hit songwriter, behind only Sir Paul McCartney. Among his songwriting accomplishments, Gibb has the most consecutive Billboard #1 hits ever with six, and he’s also the only songwriter to have written or co-written five songs that were simultaneously in the Top Ten.
Of course, it’s impossible to imagine the 1970s without the three Gibb brothers’ (Barry, Robin and late Maurice) key contributions to the 40 million best-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, which resulted in three Bee Gees #1 singles – “Stayin’ Alive,” “More Than a Woman” and “How Deep Is Your Love.” Other Bee Gees hits over the years have included “To Love Somebody,” “I Started a Joke,” “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” “Jive Talkin’,” “Too Much Heaven,” “Tragedy” and “Love You Inside Out.”
As a producer, Gibb hit his peak during the ten year period beginning in 1975, becoming the most successful writer/producer of that time. Besides the group’s era-defining records, there was a non-stop string of hits for younger brother Andy, worldwide smashes for Diana Ross (“Chain Reaction”), Dionne Warwick (“Heartbreaker”) and the title song for the movie Grease, a #1 hit for Frankie Valli which Barry both wrote and produced. Perhaps the biggest of Barry’s solo productions were Barbra Streisand’s landmark Guilty album, a Grammy-Award winning, multi-million selling, Top Ten hit and Dolly Parton’s and Kenny Rogers’ “Islands In The Stream,” is still the #1 duet in country music history.
Among the myriad of other artists who have recorded and/or performed Gibb songs are Michael Buble, Eric Clapton, Destiny’s Child, Celine Dion, Faith No More, The Gatlin Brothers, Al Green, Elton John, Tom Jones, Janis Joplin, Lulu, Olivia Newton-John, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, Nina Simone, Rod Stewart, Barbara Streisand, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick
The Bee Gees have also won numerous honors including being recently recognized as Commanders of the British Empire (CBE). For their musical achievements, the Bee Gees are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees, making them part of a very select group of artists to be in both. They have also received the American, World, and British Music Awards “Lifetime Achievement” honor and are eight-time Grammy honorees.
Gibb has also donated his time to a variety of charitable endeavors. Millions of dollars in proceeds from their #1 song, “Too Much Heaven,” benefitted 1979’s “A Gift of Song” UNICEF – The Children of The World,” a charity which the brothers co-founded with Sir David Frost and Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood. Gibb and his wife, Linda, have also worked closely with The Diabetes Research Institute in Miami for the past 30 years. As International Chairmen, they work tirelessly to raise funds to help find a cure for the all-too-prevalent disease.
Gibb was this year’s Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest® Boat Parade 2011 Grand Marshal.
Tickets cost $104, $84, $64 and $44*; all seats are reserved and available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply