Andy Gibb

Growing up the younger brother of Robin, Maurice, and Barry Gibb, of the Bee Gees, it is unsuprising that Andy Gibb began his own career in music. However, in most situations where an individual has a free ticket in to the music business, their musical skill falls short of the competition, and they only get attention because they already have some level of fame. Andy Gibb was not one of these individuals. His music, although it was certainly influenced to some degree by his brothers' hugely popular band, was truly his own.

By the time Andy was ten years old, his brothers were already world famous rock stars, and from very early on, Andy looked up to them and wanted to follow in their footsteps. He was still a teenager in 1977 when he got serious about his music career and people started to take notice. Gibb's first three singles, "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," "Thicker than water," and "Shadow Dancing," were reminiscent of his brothers' disco style. All three songs hit number one, making Andy an overnight sensation. Ten more hits followed the first three, cementing his success, however this streak of hits began to slip away by 1980. 1981 was the year he recorded his last Top 40 hit, and soon after ended his brief, yet extremely successful music career.

He went on to try his luck at acting, but had little success, and it was around this time that he developed an addiction to cocaine. This drug led to his death in 1988 from a heart condition at thirty years old. Andy Gibb was lucky enough to be born into the music business, and inherit his family's musical talent. He used these early advantages to make himself into one of the biggest teen stars of the disco era.

• As a child his family moved often, mainly to escape from the hordes of Bee Gee fans that followed them wherever they went. During Andy's childhood they lived in Australia, England, the Isle of Man, and on a small Spanish island called Ibiza.
  


• Andy made his performing debut at the age of 13, at a tourist club on Ibiza. He was received well and began appearing at the club on a regular basis. It was not long before he got his first paying job in the music business and began to write his own songs.
  


• There were often rumors that Andy would join his older brothers in the Bee Gees, but the age gap between him and them made this impossible. His brothers, Barry, Robin, and Maurice were already world famous musicians when Andy was very young.