Weeks After “Massachusetts” Reached Number One, Robin Gibb Survived the Hither Green Train Disaster. On November 5, 1967, Robin Gibb and Molly Hullis were aboard a train that derailed near Hither Green in southeast London. Forty-nine people died. Robin was seventeen, and the Bee Gees had recently reached number one in Britain with “Massachusetts,” a record carried by his unmistakable lead vocal. Within weeks, the young singer had experienced international recognition and a disaster in which fame offered no protection. Robin and Molly survived; they married the following year. The chronology gives this episode its force without requiring invented thoughts or dramatic embellishment. His public story was accelerating through records, television appearances, and growing attention, while his private life had encountered sudden catastrophe. Keeping those histories together reveals the vulnerability behind the photographs: a teenager whose voice was becoming familiar to millions had just survived a journey that killed dozens of fellow passengers.
Introduction: Weeks After “Massachusetts” Reached No. 1, Robin Gibb Survived a Tragedy That Changed Everything In the autumn of 1967,…