Bee Gees: When Barry and Robin Gibb sang moving 'To Love Somebody' for first time after Maurice's death

28 May 2024, 10:53

The two Bee Gee brothers reunited at the Prince Trust concert in London in 2006.

Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb and Maurice Gibb were inseparable as the Bee Gees, performing as a trio from the 1960s until Maurice's untimely death in 2003.

The brothers, who were born in Manchester and moved with their parents to Australia in the late 1950s, lost their youngest brother, Andy Gibb, in 1988 when he was just 30 years old, and later Maurice Gibb and Robin Gibb – leaving Barry as the last brother standing.

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In the early 2000s, shocked by the deaths of their two brothers, Robin and Barry Gibb remained out of the spotlight and didn't perform together in the years following Maurice's passing.

However, in 2006 the pair decided to reunite on stage in London for a concert in honour of the 30th Anniversary of the Prince's Trust.

The incredible moment, sees both Robin and Barry Gibb perform lead vocals on 'To Love Somebody' – a song which Barry Gibb historically took the lead on with backing from his brothers.

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Robin Gibb's voice in the opening verses is raw and emotional, a reminder that it's the first time the pair are singing with Robin's twin Maurice, with Barry singing the second verse before the pair harmonise on the chorus.

Filmed in front of the Tower of London, with sweeping views of the Thames and the city, the moment goes down in history as just one of the many times the Gibb brothers experienced both joy and tragedy in the public eye.

Robin Gibb would go on to pass away just six years later in 2012 after battling cancer, leaving Barry Gibb the only surviving brother out of four.

In a eulogy at his funeral, Barry spoke fondly of Robin and his sharp sense of humour, comparing him to a comedic legend.

"There was no funnier man than Spike Milligan - apart from Robin," he said. "And his sharp, intuitive wit will live with us forever. You could stand Robin next to Spike Milligan and it would be a competition."

Barry, the family's eldest brother, also mentioned his other younger brother, the late Maurice.

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"They were both beautiful. And now they're together. They're actually together. When you're twins, you're twins all your life. You go through every emotion. And they're finally together.

"I think the greatest pain for Robin in the past ten years was losing his twin brother, and I think it did all kinds of things to him. And now they're together."

Signalling the fraught relationship they both shared towards the end of Robin's life, Barry revealed: "Even right up to the end we found conflict with each other, which now means nothing. It just means nothing."

Robin & Barry Gibb Live “To Love Somebody” with Lead Vocals from Both Brothers!

"If there's conflict in your lives - get rid of it."

Sir Barry, who was knighted by Prince Charles in 2017, has since spoken out about the struggles he has felt over the deaths of his brothers.

Speaking on Australian show Sunday Night back in 2012, just a few months after Robin's death, the singer spoke about the relationship he had with his brothers in later years.

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"My greatest regret is that every brother I’ve lost was in a moment when we weren’t getting on, so I have to live with that and I’ll spend the rest of my life reflecting on that," an emotional Barry Gibb said.

"I’m the last man standing. I’ll never be able to understand that as I’m the eldest."

Barry also broke down in tears during the interview, admitting that he had never done that before when speaking about the subject.

"Nobody ever really knows what the three of us felt about each other," he added. "Only the three of us knew.

"It was such a unifying thing, the three of us became one person. We all had the same dream. That's what I miss more than anything else."

In an interview with the Daily Mail in 2013, he added: "Maurice’s death in 2003 and Robin’s last year had been a huge trauma for me and everyone in our family."

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"Robin’s much more recent passing had made me depressed, and there were times when I’d felt that nothing was worthwhile any more."

As time went on, Barry delved back into making music and performing which in many ways was his saviour during his grief.

Barry Gibb and son Stephen perform Staying Alive on Twitch

"We all lose someone and you have to deal with it and grow from it in some way,’ he says. ‘My way of handling it is to go back on stage."

2014 saw Barry return to touring with his first solo tour Mythology, where he brought his son Stephen and niece Samantha on the road to sing vocals in the place of his famous brothers.

Highlights from the tour include Samantha Gibb singing 'Stayin' Alive' with Barry and his son Stephen, a beautiful duet of 'How Can You Mend a Broken Heart' with her uncle, and Maurice's daughter singing a special rendition of 'You Win Again', in tribute to her father.