Introduction:
Barry Gibb and Son Stephen Delight Bee Gees Fans with Intimate Acoustic Session and Life Story of Resilience
In March 2020, Barry Gibb, now 74, and his son Stephen Gibb, 46, came together for a special live acoustic session streamed to delighted Bee Gees fans around the world. The father-son duo delivered a raw and heartfelt medley of the band’s iconic hits: Stayin’ Alive, Words, and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, recorded at Barry’s home in Miami—a residence he has called home since 1974.
Stephen, an accomplished musician in his own right, has been performing with his father’s band since 2013, joining Barry as lead guitarist on his first solo tour, Mythology. The tour also featured Maurice Gibb’s daughter, Samantha, creating touching moments of musical family harmony. Among the standout performances were Stephen and Barry’s rendition of Stayin’ Alive, Samantha’s soulful duet of How Can You Mend a Broken Heart with her uncle Barry, and a powerful group performance of You Win Again.
Stephen, the eldest son of Barry and Linda Gibb, is a graduate of music school and earned his early experience playing in bands across the U.S., including Black Label Society, Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow, and The Underbellys. In 2017, he and Samantha co-founded The Gibb Collective, a band uniting the next generation of Gibb talent—descendants of Barry, Maurice, Robin, and Andy. Their debut album, Please Don’t Turn Out the Lights, was released on May 19, 2017, featuring ten fresh interpretations of Bee Gees classics, offering a modern take on timeless songs.
In a candid revelation in 2020, Stephen opened up about his past struggles with addiction. On his recovery podcast Addiction Talks, he recounted the dark days of his life—how substance abuse led him to homelessness and scavenging for food. He reflected on the turning point when he realized he was heading toward “death, prison, or a mental institution,” prompting a life-changing decision to get sober.
“I was probably 14 when I first drank—an entire bottle of Jack Daniels. I blacked out,” he said. “Eventually, after I lost my band gig, I was homeless. I remember eating out of a dumpster at the record plant and praying no one would see me.”
His story is a powerful testimony to resilience. After his recovery, Stephen returned to his passion—writing music and playing guitar with his father. Sadly, addiction has cast a long shadow over the Gibb family. Youngest brother Andy died in 1988 at age 30 due to heart complications linked to cocaine use. Maurice, a recovering alcoholic, passed away from cardiac arrest in 2003 at age 53, and Robin succumbed to cancer in 2012.
Following the release of the documentary How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Barry revealed he hasn’t watched it. “I can’t handle watching the loss of my family,” he admitted in a January 2021 interview with CBS Sunday Morning. “We were always together. The first year after Robin passed was the hardest for me. People said I had a breakdown, but it wasn’t that—I just didn’t know how to move forward.”
In 2024, Barry Gibb was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors for his lifetime achievements in the arts. Sharing the stage with fellow honorees Billy Crystal, Queen Latifah, and Dionne Warwick, the celebration featured tribute messages from stars like Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Barbra Streisand, and Paul McCartney. Country group Little Big Town performed Lonely Days in homage to the Bee Gees.
In his emotional acceptance speech, Barry paid tribute to his late brothers: “Without my brothers, I wouldn’t be standing here. I salute Maurice, Robin, and Andy. We were a family of music and a family of love.”
