Music on the Rock Pays Tribute to the Music of the Bee Gees: The Harmonies & The Hits

Music on the Rock Pays Tribute to the Music of the Bee Gees

The Harmonies & The Hits

The Music on the Rock concert series of Flat Rock Playhouse celebrates the music of the Bee Gees.  Onstage at Playhouse Downtown June 12-14 is Stayin’ Alive – The Music of the Bee Gees. These days it's difficult to remember that before “Thriller”, Michael Jackson’s breakout album, the soundtrack to “Saturday Night Fever” was one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.  Fueled by the movie's success, the soundtrack broke multiple industry records, becoming the highest-selling album in recording history to that point. With more than 40 million copies sold, “Saturday Night Fever” is among music's top five best selling soundtrack albums. It is currently calculated as the 4^th highest-selling album worldwide.  A total of six songs off the album reached number one on Billboard.  The album was also number on Billboard’s album charts for 24 straight weeks and lasted a total of 120 weeks on the list.  The album was also just as successful in Britain and won Album of the Year at the Grammys.  And not without reason, this certified platinum album is largely due to the stellar material from the Bee Gees.

With their unique and innovative musical style, the Bee Gees are undeniably one of the most successful pop groups of all-time.  Consisting of three brothers: Barry and twins Robin and Maurice; the brothers Gibb’s three-part tight harmonies were instantly recognizable.  Robin's clear vibrato lead was a hallmark of their earlier hits, while Barry's R&B falsetto became their signature sound during the late 1970s and 1980s.  Incredible songwriters, musicians and singers with seven Grammys to their name, their songs permeated the airwaves and became part of the background of the pop music experience.  The brothers wrote all of their own hits, as well as writing and producing several major hits for other artists.  Of their thirty-five albums, 200 million copies have been sold, and most have hit the top of the UK and US charts, making them one of the best-selling musical acts ever.

As music's most successful brother act, no popular music act of the '60s, '70s, '80s, or '90s attracted a more varied audience than the Bee Gees. The trio were successful for most of their decades of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s/early 1970s, and as prominent performers of the disco music era in the late 1970s.  Beginning in the mid- to late '60s as a Beatlesque ensemble, they quickly developed as songwriters and singers to create a style of their own.  The combination of their haunting melodies, the shear beauty of their harmonies and the range of influences that went into their sound, which came from a multitude of sources proved to be very popular with fans.  In the 70’s, after hitting a slump, they reinvented themselves as perhaps the most successful white soul/disco act of all time.

What remained a constant throughout their history, is their extraordinary singing, rooted in three voices that were appealing individually and melded together perfectly.  Along with their harmonies, the Bee Gees were very soulful and in touch with the tenor of the times.  The emotions expressed in their songs were heartfelt not plastic, they definitely knew how to touch the soul.  Rug and Home presents Stayin’ Alive – The Music of the Bee Gees onstage June 12-14.  Performances will be Tuesday through Thursday at 8:00 pm each evening at Playhouse Downtown.  All tickets are $24 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse box office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-732 8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org.  Playhouse Downtown is located at 125 S. Main Street in Hendersonville NC.