Maurice Ernest Gibb (22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician and songwriter. He became famous worldwide as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop-rock groups ever. While his older brother Barry and twin brother Robin were usually the lead singers, Maurice sang lead on at least one or two songs on most albums, such as “Lay It on Me”, “Country Woman” and “On Time”.
The Jane Crookall Maternity Home, Douglas Isle of Man, where Maurice and Robin Gibb were born on 22 December 1949.
Gibb began his music career in 1955 in Manchester, England, joining the skiffle and rock and roll group the Rattlesnakes at age five. The group later became the Bee Gees in 1958 after the family moved to Australia. They eventually returned to England and became famous around the world. In 2002, the Bee Gees were made CBEs for their “contribution to music”. After Gibb died unexpectedly in 2003, his son accepted the award at Buckingham Palace in 2004.
Maurice Ernest Gibb was born on 22 December 1949 in Douglas, Isle of Man.
Gibb was part of the British-Australian pop group The Bee Gees. While Barry and Robin were usually the main lead singers, Maurice wrote at least one or two songs on most albums, such as “Lay It on Me”, “Country Woman” and “On Time”. The Bee Gees became one of the most successful rock-pop groups in history.
Gibb met Scottish pop singer Lulu through Colin Petersen in 1967. Lulu said about Maurice, “I thought Maurice was cute, so I said, ‘In that case, tell him to stop talking about me and take me out.’ He did just that. I never expected much to come from this, but in fact our relationship grew, after a fashion. Going steady is quite the wrong way to describe what was happening between us. Going unsteady might better sum up the way we fell in and out with each other.” Lulu recalled that she, Maurice, and Robert Stigwood saw Pink Floyd at the Saville Theatre in London on 1 October 1967. Later, after their relationship became public, Maurice said, “Lulu and I met on the Top of the Pops TV show three months ago, and then at the Saville Theatre in London last month.”
Gibb was seen in public with Hungarian singer Sarolta Zalatnay, but he later said, “I’m not a Casanova and it’s all most unfortunate. I’ve never been publicised to be available. Because of the stories of my affairs with Lulu and Sarolta, the fans feel, ‘Oh, we won’t bother about Maurice because he’s always got a steady girl’.”
Gibb and Lulu married on 18 February 1969 and separated in 1973. Their busy careers and his heavy drinking led to their breakup, and they divorced without having children. The divorce was finalized on 21 August 1975. Gibb later said they both drank: “We didn’t have any responsibilities, we’d just party.”or claimed to have had a brief affair with him.
He married his second wife, Yvonne Spenceley Gibb, on 17 October 1975. They had two children, Samantha and Adam. Some believe that Nick Endacott is Maurice’s illegitimate child based on DNA evidence, but he is not recognized as an heir. Maurice and Yvonne stayed married until his death. In 1991, Maurice reached his lowest point with alcohol when he pulled a gun on his wife and children after a month of heavy drinking.
They left and went to Barry’s house, refusing to return until Maurice got help. He entered rehab and called Yvonne to say he wanted to stay and stop drinking. She said that was the call she had been waiting for.
Maurice Gibb was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of The Bee Gees.
Wyclef Jean recorded “Jive Talkin’” in 2005 and Sheryl Crow recorded “To Love Somebody” in 2005 as tributes to him. In March 2012, Bee Gees fan and author Dawnette Owens published a novel called Souls Stick Around: A Tale of the Black Hills and Maurice Gibb.
A recording studio at Chorlton High School, which the brothers attended, is named in Gibb’s honor. When remembering Maurice, his brother Barry said: “Mo was a real McCartney bass freak, as a lot of us were. He would pick up on all the things that McCartney would do. Maurice was very good on different instruments, you know. Good lead guitarist, good bass player, good keyboard player. He was versatile. He loved playing bass more than anything else, I think, at that time.”
Gibb died from complications of a twisted intestine on 12 January 2003 in Miami Beach, Florida, at age 53.
