Barry Gibb, an iconic figure in music history and one of the most revered songwriters of all time, shared the harrowing story of a childhood accident that irrevocably shaped his life and artistic instinct. Alongside his brothers Robin and Maurice, Barry soared to global fame in the 1960s and 70s, solidifying the Bee Gees’ status through timeless hits and notably Barry’s legendary soundtrack for the 1978 blockbuster Saturday Night Fever.
The trio’s origins trace back to 50 St Catherine’s Drive in Douglas, Isle of Man, where Barry was born in 1946 to parents Hugh Gibb, a drummer, and Barbara Gibb. However, when Barry was nearly two years old, a harrowing incident nearly claimed his life and left an indelible imprint on his creative genius.
As recounted by Barry, his mother had placed a pot of tea on the table, which young Barry climbed up and inadvertently pulled down, causing the scalding liquid to pour over him with devastating severity. He was rushed to the hospital where his life hung precariously in the balance. Barry recounted to CBS News,
“I had about 20 minutes to live.”
The severity of his injuries forced a prolonged hospitalization of two years, during which he did not utter a single word for another two years after leaving the hospital.
This grave burn accident was complicated by gangrene, a condition particularly untreated at the time due to limited medical advances in the 1940s. Barry revealed,
“Gangrene set in. Because in those days, the advancement of medicine simply didn’t apply to people with bad scalds, so you didn’t have skin grafts, you didn’t have things like that. The idea of being burnt is in there somewhere, but I have no knowledge of it. I’ve got the scars but I have no knowledge.”
Barry described this critical period as erased from memory, despite the physical scars that remain. The aftermath of the incident shaped him into a very shy and quiet boy during his formative years, though he managed to overcome much of that shyness. Yet, his emotional sensitivity remains deeply ingrained to this day.
In a 2013 conversation with Mail On Sunday, Barry expressed the depth of his emotional wiring:
“I cry at the drop of a hat. If I’m watching a sad movie or TV show, I sit with a towel on my lap because I cry so much.”
Reflecting on a recent solo trip back to Australia without his brothers, Barry was visibly moved when shown a copy of the Bee Gees’ first television performance, revealing the lasting emotional ties to his past and the profound experiences that shaped him.
Barry Gibb’s songwriting legacy is monumental, penning hits for legendary artists such as Diana Ross (‘Chain Reaction’), Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (‘Islands in the Stream’), Barbra Streisand (‘Woman in Love’), Dionne Warwick (‘Heartbreaker’), Frankie Valli (‘Grease’), and even Destiny’s Child (‘Emotion’). Despite this illustrious career, it is the near-fatal accident of his early childhood that he credits with instilling in him a unique instinct about music, about life, about everything.
This poignant account peels back the curtain on the personal trials behind the glittering success of a musical giant, revealing the trauma and triumph that accompanied Barry Gibb’s rise to stardom.
