Andy Gibb
The youngest Gibb brother who rode a wave of disco-era pop to solo stardom, becoming a chart phenomenon haunted by the shadow of fame.
1958–1988 (age 30)·British singer·Birthday: March 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Andy Gibb was born into pop royalty as the little brother of the Bee Gees, and for a fleeting moment, he outshone them all. With the same distinctive family falsetto and his brothers' songwriting and production magic, he exploded onto the charts in 1977 with 'I Just Want to Be Your Everything.' He became the first solo artist ever to have his first three singles top the Billboard Hot 100, a teen idol whose boyish charm and melodic hits like 'Shadow Dancing' defined the tail end of the disco era. His success, however, was inextricably linked to and ultimately overwhelmed by the Gibb machine. Struggling to establish an independent artistic identity, his career was derailed by drug addiction and personal turmoil. His attempts at a comeback in the 1980s were sporadic, and he died of heart inflammation at just 30. Andy Gibb's legacy is a bittersweet pop parable of meteoric rise and the crushing weight of expectation.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andy was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Andy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
Key Achievements
- Became the first solo artist in history to have his first three singles ('I Just Want to Be Your Everything,' '(Love Is) Thicker Than Water,' 'Shadow Dancing') reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
- Hosted the American music television series 'Solid Gold' in the early 1980s.
- Starred on Broadway in the lead role of 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'
Did You Know?
He was only 19 years old when his first single went to number one.
Andy Gibb was briefly married to his publicist, Kim Reeder.
He was a regular co-host on the TV show 'Solid Gold' alongside Marilyn McCoo.
His middle name, Roy, was in honor of the family's friend, singer Roy Orbison.
“I just want to be your everything.”
