Oldies Music

With the passing of Robin, the second of the Brothers Gibb to leave us too soon, I'm taking a look back at the career of the Bee Gees. Or rather, careers: even if you were one of those people who never forgave them for making disco a national phenomenon -- and let's face it, there are still plenty of you out there -- you'd have to admit that by that time, they'd already enjoyed a stellar career as Australia's answer to the Beatles, a group equally adept at blue-eyed soul, chamber pop, and psychedelia. The fact that they went on to another career as one of the top-selling acts of all time just proves their boundless talent. If you love the group's work in any era, you'll want to check out this look at the music, life, and career of the Bee Gees.

Robin Gibb, one-third of the phenomenally popular Australian group The Bee Gees, has passed away in a central London hospital due to complications from his ongoing fight with colon and liver cancer.

Along with brother Maurice, Robin was one-half of a pair of twins in the three Brothers Gibb (hence the name "Bee Gees"), and the first to leave the group behind, attempting an abortive solo career in 1970 but returning the following year. The group, known for their close-knit harmonies, were considered Australia's answer to the British Invasion with their long string of late-60s and early-70s ballads, usually sung by Robin in tandem with leader Barry: "To Love Somebody," "Words," "Lonely Days," and "I Started a Joke," Robin's best-known solo vocal.

When their career began to founder, they engineered a remarkable comeback, turning to danceable R&B in the mid-70s and becoming one of the biggest musical groups in the world when the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack exploded in 1978. Anchored by several Bee Gees songs, including "Stayin' Alive," "Night Fever," and "How Deep Is Your Love," it made them the biggest of superstars, but also created a disco backlash from which their career never quite recovered.

The three brothers soldiered on, weathering the death of younger brother (and '70s teen heartthrob) Andy Gibb and, in 2003, Maurice's untimely death from what his brothers later alleged was botched intestinal surgery. In 2010 Robin was discovered to have the same congenital disorder as Maurice, but while his operation and treatment for a twisted intestine were successful, doctors discovered cancer in his colon.

Robin slipped into a pneumonia-related coma as a result but made a spectacular recovery just a week later, soon appearing back in public for the premiere of his last work, a classical piece written with his son Robin-John, entitled The Titanic Requiem. Sadly, he slipped back into the coma in April and never recovered. Robin, who is survived by six children from three different mothers, was 62. Please leave your thoughts and condolences for Robin Gibb here.

The late great Donna Summer, who passed away yesterday after a private struggle with lung cancer, started out as a novelty musician of sorts, turning the "orgasm record" electronic and bringing it to the dance floor. However, she soon grew to not only rule the disco boom of the '70s but also to embody its ambitions, doing as much as anyone to define the genre's sexiness, romanticism, and glamour. Check out my profile of the greatest dance diva of all time.

Donna Summer, arguably the most famous singer in the history of disco and one of the most popular female entertainers of the '70s, has passed away at her Key West home at the age of 63, succumbing to the lung cancer she'd secretly fought for the past ten months

Summer, born LaDonna Adrian Gaines in Boston, grew up singing in a local church but moved to Europe in the late Sixties to find fame and fortune. After appearing in a production of Hair, backing Three Dog Night on a leg of their tour and releasing a few European singles without much success, Donna hooked up with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte for a 12-inch dance song called "Love To Love You Baby." The seductive smash seemed like a one-off, but Donna proved remarkably versatile, becoming dance music's first real diva with smashes such as "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff," and "Bad Girls."

Which of these classic singles do you like more? Make your selection in our oldies poll!

THIS WEEK'S BATTLE:

Keep on Smilin' by Wet Willie
VS.
Drift Away by Dobie Gray

Vote here, and defend your decision to other oldies music lovers... you don't have to be a member to vote or post!

PREVIOUS RESULTS:

"Fire and Rain" by James Taylor... 70%
"Wild World" by Cat Stevens... 30%

With the recent passing of bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, I take a look back at the music and career of Booker T. and the MGs, soul's most famous instrumentalists, who served as the house band for the Stax/Volt labels in the '60s, providing the groove heard on classics by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, and more, not to mention scoring hits of their own with "Green Onions" and the influential "Time Is Tight." Read all about Booker T. and the MGs here in this profile.

Donald "Duck" Dunn, bassist for the legendary soul instrumentalists and Stax label house band Booker T. and the MGs, passed away from unknown causes Sunday while touring in Tokyo. He was 70.

Though he didn't play on the group's best-known instrumental classic, "Green Onions," Dunn did play with the MGs on their other hits, and even more notably, hits for the artists the group backed: that's Dunn's bass opening Otis Redding's "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay," moving and grooving under Sam and Dave's "Soul Man," and even underpinning Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty's big '80s hit "Stop Dragging My Heart Around."

After Stax folded in the mid-Seventies, Dunn was still very much in demand as a session musician, playing with everyone from Eric Clapton to Bob Dylan, and even made an on-screen appearance as part of the band in the 1980 musical comedy film The Blues Brothers. Dunn is survived by wife June and son Jeff, as well as one grandchild; a memorial service is being planned in the bassist's hometown of Memphis. Please leave your thoughts, remembrances, and condolences about Donald "Duck" Dunn here.

Songs about mothers, Mother's Day, motherly advice, and motherly love... an original playlist of songs for Mother's Day or any time you'd like to show Mom what she means to you. Check the download status on these songs, most of which are available for cheap right here at About.com, and assemble this Mother's Day playlist or burn a legal disc of your own!

Paul's occasional salutes to the ballroom music of his father's generation, both with the Beatles and on his own, are a source of contention for many fans. Love it or hate it, though, "Your Mother Should Know" is full of fascinating compositional tricks that make it hard to tell just how serious McCartney's taking himself... and given the nature of his inspiration, his tongue may be futher in cheek than anyone realized. Also, Paul is apparently dead. Read all about "Your Mother Should Know" in my latest Beatles fact sheet.