Introduction:
Bee Gees legend Barry Gibb has remained a huge name in the music world for decades after the band found fame in the 1960s.
Along with his two younger brothers, Gibb’s Bee Gees success saw them achieving global fame, and at 77, the singer has insisted he’s “not done”.
Speaking to CBS after receiving a Kennedy Centre honour, the Stayin’ Alive singer reflected on his career and his thoughts of being recognised with awards.
Looking to the future, he explained: “My hearing isn’t as great as it was, but I’m not done, I’m not done.
“I just made an album with about 10 country artists, and that was a ball.”
Recalling the origins of the band, which he starred in alongside brothers Robin and Maurice, he shared some advice he had always dispensed to them.
“What’s been great about all this is I didn’t expect it at all, and it just came round the corner,” he stated.
“It changed me completely, it was amazing. I didn’t expect to see my son, so that was great.
“I always used to tell my brothers, ‘don’t campaign, don’t campaign for awards, just keep your head down and get the work done’.
“I was about eight or nine years old and I wanted to be a pop star, and my brother said, ‘Can I do that too?’ and I said, ‘Yes, we can do it together.’ It was really that simple and that’s great.”
Gibb’s co-star brothers died in 2012 and 2003 respectively, with the former battling cancer for a number of years while Maurice died during surgery for a twisted intestine.
The group’s younger brother Andy, who wasn’t in the band, died in 1988 following a battle with drug addiction and depression.
Speaking on Australian show Sunday Night in 2012, not long after Robin’s death, Gibb reflected: “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.
“I’m the last man standing. I’ll never be able to understand that as I’m the eldest. Nobody ever really knows what the three of us felt about each other. Only the three of us knew.”
Despite his unwillingness to let go of music, Gibb recently announced he was considering selling his Bee Gees back catalogue.
When asked if he ever would, he responded: “I’m thinking about it. Because I don’t want my kids to have that burden.”
Speaking again to CBS, he continued: “And then I heard what Bruce Springsteen got for his estate. I’m thinking, well, you know, you can only, you can only last so long, you know.
“And if I’m deaf, then what difference does the music make? If you can’t hear it, what does it matter, you know.”