In 2017, Australian country singer Keith Urban produced a great live version of this tune as a salute to the Bee Gees at the Grammys.įrom 1967-1969 The Bee Gees had a very successful run as a pop group. In addition to the two covers that we feature, there are versions by Roberta Flack, Michael Bolton and Hank Williams, Jr. There are at least 150 covers of this tune. The song To Love Somebody has become incredibly popular. The Bee Gees are capable of producing a superb live show. The Bee Gees remind me of the Everly Brothers – a family group that sang together so frequently that their vocals were invariably perfectly synched. The Bee Gees are backed up by a full orchestra, and the tune is highlighted by Barry Gibb’s terrific lead vocals - but I believe the highlight is the superb three-part harmony from the Gibbs brothers. Here are the Bee Gees in a live performance of To Love Somebody. Tragically, Otis Redding died in a plane crash in fall 1967 before he was ever able to record the tune. The Bee Gees released To Love Somebody as a single in summer 1967, and the song made it to #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. If I ain’t got you, ain’t got you? Hey, babe, The tune was a ballad designed to fit Otis’ soulful style. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb, but intended for Otis Redding after Otis requested that Barry write a song for him. The song To Love Somebody was the 2nd Bee Gees hit. Starting in 1967 with their first hit New York Mining Disaster, they began a long run in the pop charts. With Stigwood as their promoter, the Bee Gees began to score hits. Stigwood would become the group’s manager and promoter over the next several decades. Epstein’s family owned a major record store, so Epstein passed the tape along to one of the record store employees, Robert Stigwood. They mailed a demo tape to the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein. in early 1967 because of their inability to land a major record contract in Australia. Although the band developed a loyal following in Australia, they returned to the U.K. The group subsequently changed their name to The Bee Gees, and added lead guitarist Vince Melouney and drummer Colin Petersen to the ensemble. Back row from L: Vince Melouney, Maurice Gibb, Barry Gibb front row Robin Gibb, Colin Petersen. A Brisbane DJ re-named the boys “The BGs.” Although legend has it that The Bee Gees name stands for “The Brothers Gibb,” the initial name referred to the fact that the DJ Bill Gates, race-car driver Bill Goode (the boys used to perform at the Redcliffe Speedway in Brisbane) and Barry Gibb all had initials “BG.” Once again, the Gibb boys began to perform as a trio. The Gibb family then moved to Queensland, Australia. Similar to The Beatles, this was initially a skiffle group that morphed into a rock and roll band. The brothers Barry, Robin and Maurice started a music group called The Rattlesnakes in England. They had five children the oldest was a girl, Lesley, then four brothers including Barry, twins Robin and Maurice, and Andy. The Gibb family lived in Manchester, England. Over their long career, there were arguably three distinctly different manifestations of this trio of brothers. The Bee Gees were an extraordinary pop group. Next we review a cover by Nina Simone and we finish with a cover by Janis Joplin. We will first discuss the original version by The Bee Gees. Hello there! This week our blog features a great 60s pop ballad, To Love Somebody.
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