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Bee Gee lived his dream

Maurice (right) at the height of the Bee Gees' disco fame
Maurice (right) at the height of the Bee Gees' disco fame

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MIAMI BEACH, Florida (CNN) -- At the tender age of five growing up in Manchester, England, Maurice Gibb said he and his brothers had a dream -- to be famous.

And unlike most kids with the same ambition they made it. Maurice Gibb, along with his twin brother Robin and older brother Barry hit it big as the Bee Gees, the brothers Gibb.

Their harmonising skills became a signature -- and the cue for hitting dancefloors in nightclubs across the world.

Maurice Gibb once said: "We used to do some of that lollipop and things like that, and just learned to harmonise. We sort of harmonised together automatically."

They started hitting the top of the charts in the mid-60's before briefly splitting and coming back with a vengeance in the 1970s.

"Saturday Night Fever" sent both the Bee Gees and actor John Travolta's careers into the stratosphere, surprising even them.

"Nobody knew exactly what it was going to do, I mean it didn't have big promotion or anything, it just happened," said Maurice.

gibb
Maurice Gibb: 'I was lucky'

The album remains one of the best-selling movie soundtracks ever.

Among their disco hits on that album are "Stayin' Alive," "More Than a Woman" and "How Deep Is Your Love."

At the time Maurice was a recovering alcoholic and says he was lucky to get through the period.

His younger brother Andy was not. Addicted to drugs, he died at the age of 30 from a heart infection.

The trio started out as a child act encouraged by their father, Hugh a band leader, and their mother Barbara, a former singer.

Their first real hit was "Massachusetts," a chart topper in England that showcased their ability as arrangers.

In 1969 the Bee Gees split as a band and Maurice married the singer Lulu, who he had met in a BBC canteen.

While the marriage would only last four years the brothers reformed in 1970 and would go from merely famous to superstars with "Saturday NIght Fever."

Maurice Gibb lived in Miami Beach as did his older brother, Barry.

Away from the music industry Maurice owned a Miami Beach paintball shop called Commander Mo's and took part in the 2002 World Paintball Championships.

The Bee Gees not only had their own hits, they wrote for Elvis, Barbara Streisand, and Otis Redding.

Maurice once said the Bee Gees' passion for writing was their lifeblood. "I think the songs have always kept us up there," he would say.

Those songs earned the Bee Gees seven Grammys, 16 nominations and a place in the rock and roll hall of fame.



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