Oxfordshire
200px Coat of arms of Oxfordshire Flag of Oxfordshire
Motto of County Council: Sapere Aude ('Dare to be Wise')[1]
Geography
Status	Ceremonial and non-metropolitan county
Region	South East England
Area - Total - Admin. council	Ranked 22nd 2,605 km2 (1,006 sq mi) Ranked 19th
Admin HQ	Oxford
ISO 3166-2	GB-OXF
ONS code	38
NUTS 3	UKJ14
Demography
Population - Total () - Density - Admin. council	Ranked 35th 648,700 249 /km2 (640 /sq mi) Ranked 17th
Ethnicity	95.1% White 1.7% S. Asian
Politics
Oxfordshire County Council http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk
Executive	Conservative
Members of Parliament	Tony Baldry (C) David Cameron (C) Nicola Blackwood (C) John Howell (C) Andrew Smith (L) Ed Vaizey (C)
Districts
Oxford Cherwell South Oxfordshire Vale of White Horse West Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire ( /ˈɒksfərdʃər/ or /ˈɒksfərdʃɪər/; archaically the County of Oxford; abbreviated Oxon from the Latinised form of "Oxford", Oxonia) is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire (to the north/northeast), Buckinghamshire (to the east), Berkshire (to the south), Wiltshire (to the southwest) and Gloucestershire (to the west).

The county has major education and tourist industries. The area is noted for the concentration of performance motorsport companies and facilities. Oxford University Press is the largest firm among a concentration of print and publishing firms; the University of Oxford is also linked to the concentration of local biotechnology companies.

The main centre of population is the city of Oxford. Other significant settlements are Banbury, Bicester, Kidlington, and Chipping Norton to the north of Oxford; Witney to the west; Thame and Chinnor to the east; and Abingdon, Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford and Henley-on-Thames to the south. Future population growth in the county is hoped^{[clarification needed]} to be concentrated around Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Didcot and Witney, near the South Midlands growth area.

The highest point of the administrative county is White Horse Hill, in the Vale of White Horse, reaching 261 metres (856 ft).^[2] The highest point in the historic county is near Portobello Farm in the Chiltern Hills at 255 metres.

Oxfordshire's county flower is the Snake's-head Fritillary.

History[link]

Oxfordshire was formed as a county in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the land between the River Thames to the south, the Cotswolds to the west, the Chilterns to the east and the Midlands to the north, with spurs running south to Henley-on-Thames and north to Banbury.

Historically the area has always had some importance, since it contains valuable agricultural land in the centre of the county. Ignored by the Romans, it was not until the formation of a settlement at Oxford in the eighth century that the area grew in importance. Alfred the Great was born across the Thames in Wantage in Berkshire. The University of Oxford was founded in 1096, though its collegiate structure did not develop until later on. The university in the county town of Oxford (whose name came from Anglo-Saxon Oxenaford = "ford for oxen") grew in importance during the Middle Ages and early modern period. The area was part of the Cotswolds wool trade from the 13th century, generating much wealth, particularly in the western portions of the county in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds. Morris Motors was founded in Oxford in 1912, bringing heavy industry to an otherwise agricultural county. The importance of agriculture as an employer has declined rapidly in the 20th century though; currently under one percent of the county's population are involved due to high mechanisation.

Throughout most of its history the county was divided into fourteen hundreds, namely Bampton, Banbury, Binfield, Bloxham, Bullingdon, Chadlington, Dorchester, Ewelme, Langtree, Lewknor, Pyrton, Ploughley, Thame and Wootton.

The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, the main army unit in the area, was based at the Barracks on Bullingdon Green, Cowley.

The Vale of the White Horse district and parts of the South Oxfordshire administrative district south of the River Thames were historically part of Berkshire, but were added to the administrative county of Oxfordshire in 1974. Conversely, the Caversham area of Reading was historically part of Oxfordshire as was the parish of Stokenchurch, now administratively in Buckinghamshire.

Economy[link]

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Oxfordshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Politics[link]

Oxfordshire County Council, currently controlled by the Conservatives, is responsible for the most strategic local government functions, including schools, county roads, and social services The county is divided into five local government districts: Oxford, Cherwell, Vale of White Horse (after the Uffington White Horse), West Oxfordshire and South Oxfordshire, which deal with such matters as town and country planning, waste collection, and housing.

Education[link]

Oxfordshire has a completely comprehensive education system with 23 independent schools and 35 state schools. The state schools are from the ages of 11 to either 16 or 18. Only eight schools do not have a sixth form; these are mostly in South Oxfordshire and Cherwell districts.

The county has two universities, significantly the University of Oxford and also Oxford Brookes University, both located in Oxford. Oxfordshire also has Wroxton College, located in Banbury, which is affiliated with Fairleigh Dickinson University of New Jersey.

Buildings[link]

The "dreaming spires" of the buildings of the University of Oxford play a large contribution in Oxford being the sixth most visited city in the United Kingdom for international visitors^[7]. Notable University buildings include the Sheldonian Theatre, built 1664–1668 to the design of Sir Christopher Wren, and the Radcliffe Camera, built 1737–1749 to the design of James Gibbs.

Blenheim Palace close to Woodstock was built by the great architect John Vanbrugh for John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, after he had won the battle of Blenheim. The gardens, which can be visited, were designed by the landscape gardener "Capability Brown", who planted the trees in the battle formation of the victorious troops. In the palace, which can also be visited by the public, Sir Winston Churchill was born in 1874.

Chastleton House, on the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire borders, is a great country mansion that was built on property bought from Robert Catesby, who was one of the men involved in the Gunpowder Plot with Guy Fawkes. Stonor Park, another country mansion, has belonged to the recusant Stonor family for centuries.

Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan stately home in the far south-east of the county, close to Reading.

Settlements in Oxfordshire[link]

• Abingdon (in Berkshire until 1974)
• Banbury
• Bicester
• Burford
• Carterton
• Charlbury
• Chipping Norton
• Didcot (in Berkshire until 1974)
• Faringdon (in Berkshire until 1974)
• Henley-on-Thames
• Kidlington
• Oxford
• Thame
• Wallingford (in Berkshire until 1974)
• Wantage (in Berkshire until 1974)
• Watlington
• Witney
• Woodstock

Settlements by population[link]

Places of interest[link]

Key
	Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
	Accessible open space
	Amusement/Theme Park
	Castle
	Country Park
	English Heritage
	Forestry Commission
	Heritage railway
	Historic House
	Museum (free/not free)
	National Trust
	Theatre
	Zoo

• Abingdon County Hall Museum^[8] – housed in a 17th century County Hall building
• National Trust Ashdown House – 17th century country house in the Lambourn Downs
• Ashmolean Museum - Oxford University's museum of art and archaeology
• Banbury Museum, Banbury
• Bicester Village
• Blenheim Palace and garden – UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Broughton Castle – 14th century fortified manor house
• National Trust Buscot Park, Buscot – 18th century country house and landscape garden
• Champs Chapel Museum of East Hendred – village museum in a 15th century Carthusian chapel
• Charlbury Museum
• National Trust Chastleton House – 17th century country house (limited access)
• Chiltern Hills – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway – operated with steam and diesel locomotives
• Chipping Norton Museum [1]
• Cholsey and Wallingford Railway
• Cogges Manor Farm Museum, Witney – a living museum of country life
• Combe Mill Museum,[2] Long Hanborough – working museum of stationary steam engines
• Cotswold Wildlife Park and garden, Bradwell Grove, Holwell
• Cotswolds – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Didcot Railway Centre – museum of the Great Western Railway
• Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester-on-Thames – 12th century church of former Augustinian abbey
• National Trust Great Coxwell Barn – 14th century Tithe barn
• National Trust Greys Court, Rotherfield Greys – 16th century country house
• Hampton Gay Manor – ruins of 16th century manor house (no website)
• Harcourt Arboretum, Nuneham Courtenay
• Heythrop Hall – 17th century country house: now a hotel, golf & country club
• Hook Norton Brewery – working Victorian "tower" brewery that offers guided tours
• Kelmscott Manor – Home of William Morris
• Mapledurham Estate – 16th century country house and 15th century watermill
• Milton^{[disambiguation needed ]} Manor House – 18th century country house [3]
• Minster Lovell Hall – dovecote and ruins of 15th century manor house
• Museum of Bygones, Claydon – private museum including stationary steam engines
• North Wessex Downs – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
• Oxford
• Oxford Bus Museum and Morris Motors Museum, Long Hanborough
• Oxford Canal – 18th century "narrow" canal
• The Oxfordshire Museum, Woodstock
• The Ridgeway
• River and Rowing Museum, Henley-on-Thames
• River Thames
• Rollright Stones – megalithic stone circle and Whispering Knights burial chamber, near Little Rollright
• Rousham House – 17th century country house and landscape garden
• Rycote chapel – 15th century chapel with original furnishings
• St Katharine's church, Chiselhampton – 18th century parish church with original furnishings (no website, limited access)
• St Mary's church, Iffley – 12th century Norman parish church [4]
• Shotover Country Park, Headington
• Spiceball Country Park, Banbury
• Stanton Harcourt manor house (limited access), with garden and 15th century chapel and Pope's Tower (no website)
• Stonor House – country house and 14th century chapel of the recusant Stonor family
• Swalcliffe Tithe Barn – 15th century
• Thame Museum [5]
• Tolsey Museum, Burford (no website)
• Uffington White Horse, Uffington Castle and Wayland's Smithy burial chamber in the White Horse Hills
• Wallingford Museum
• Wheatley Windmill – 18th century tower mill [6]

See also[link]

Oxfordshire portal

• Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
• High Sheriff of Oxfordshire
• Oxford University (including links to the individual colleges).
• Oxford Canal
• Dr. Thomas Hinde, born in Oxfordshire and personal physician to Patrick Henry.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Philip Powell – The Geology of Oxfordshire (Dovecote Press, 2005) ISBN 1-904349-19-6

External links[link]

Look up Oxfordshire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oxfordshire

• Oxfordshire County Council
• Thisisoxfordshire Oxfordshire news, sport & information
• The Oxfordshire Association
• Flags of Oxfordshire
• Visit South Oxfordshire
• Banbury & District National Trust Association
• Oxfordshire at the Open Directory Project

Neighbouring counties

	Warwickshire	Warwickshire, Northamptonshire	Northamptonshire
	Gloucestershire		Buckinghamshire
		Oxfordshire    East
	Wiltshire	Berkshire	Berkshire

v t e Districts of South East England Berkshire Bracknell Forest Reading Slough West Berkshire Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham Buckinghamshire Aylesbury Vale Chiltern Milton Keynes South Bucks Wycombe East Sussex Brighton and Hove Eastbourne Hastings Lewes Rother Wealden Hampshire Basingstoke and Deane East Hampshire Eastleigh Fareham Gosport Hart Havant New Forest Portsmouth Rushmoor Southampton Test Valley Winchester Isle of Wight Isle of Wight Kent Ashford Canterbury Dartford Dover Gravesham Maidstone Medway Sevenoaks Shepway Swale Thanet Tonbridge and Malling Tunbridge Wells Oxfordshire Cherwell Oxford South Oxfordshire Vale of White Horse West Oxfordshire Surrey Elmbridge Epsom and Ewell Guildford Mole Valley Reigate and Banstead Runnymede Spelthorne Surrey Heath Tandridge Waverley Woking West Sussex Adur Arun Chichester Crawley Horsham Mid Sussex Worthing

Coordinates: 51°45′N 1°17′W / 51.75°N 1.28°W / 51.75; -1.28

Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb at the meet-and-greet after the Dubai Jazz Festival on 1 March 2008
Background information
Birth name	Robin Hugh Gibb
Born	(1949-12-22)22 December 1949 Douglas, Isle of Man
Died	20 May 2012(2012-05-20) (aged 62) London, England
Genres	Pop Soft rock Adult contemporary Disco[1] Synthpop[2][3][4][5]
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, piano, violin, guitar, bass
Years active	1958–2012
Labels	Polydor, RSO, Mirage
Associated acts	Bee Gees
Website	Official website

Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE (22 December 1949 – 20 May 2012) was a singer and songwriter, best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his fraternal twin brother Maurice and older brother Barry. Their younger brother Andy was also a singer.

Born in the Isle of Man to English parents, the family later moved to Manchester before settling in Brisbane, Australia. Gibb began his career as part of the family trio and when the group found their first success they returned to the United Kingdom where they achieved worldwide fame. In 2004, the Bee Gees received their CBEs from the Prince of Wales at Buckingham Palace for their "contribution to music".^[6] With record sales estimated in excess of 200 million units, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time.^[7] Music historian Paul Gambaccini described Gibb as "one of the major figures in the history of British music" and "one of the best white soul voices ever".^[8]

After a career spanning six decades, Gibb last performed on stage in February 2012 supporting injured British servicemen and women at a charity concert at the London Palladium.^[9] On 20 May 2012, Gibb died at the age of 62 from liver and kidney failure.^[10]

Early life[link]

Born to Barbara and Hugh Gibb^[11] (d. 1992)^[12] on the Isle of Man, Robin was the fraternal twin of Maurice Gibb, and the older of the two by 35 minutes. The third-born of five children, Gibb had one older sister, Lesley (b. 1945), and three brothers: Barry (b. 1946), fraternal twin Maurice (1949–2003), and Andy (1958–1988).

Gibb was the subject of an edition of the BBC genealogy documentary series Who Do You Think You Are? first broadcast on 21 September 2011. The programme revealed that Gibb's paternal great-grandfather was born into poverty in Paisley and went on to become a decorated soldier and his paternal great-grandmother was a midwife.^[13]

Gibb's mother Barbara was born in Worsley, Salford, and in 1953 the family returned to Manchester, England.^[14] The family lived on Keppel Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy and it was here that the young Gibb brothers sang together and performed in local theatres.^[14] In late 1958, the family moved to Brisbane, Australia. The family travelled to Australia on the same ship as Australian musician Red Symons. The brothers' music careers began in Australia and flourished when they returned to England in 1967.^[15]

Solo career[link]

Traditionally, Gibb's role in the Bee Gees was lead singer, for which he vied with Barry during the group's first period of British success in the late 1960s. This rivalry eventually prompted Gibb to leave the group and begin a solo career.^{[citation needed]} The final irritant was when his song "Lamplight" was relegated to the B-side of Barry's song "First of May". Meanwhile, there were rumours during this period that Gibb was dealing with drug abuse problems, leading Gibb's parents to allegedly threaten legal action to make him a ward of court (the UK age of majority at that time being 21, and Gibb was only 19).^[16]

In his solo career, Gibb was initially successful with a number 2 UK hit, "Saved by the Bell", which sold over one million copies and received a gold disc.^[17] However, Gibb's first solo album, Robin's Reign, was less successful and he soon found that being a solo artist was unsatisfying. Maurice played bass guitar on the song "Mother and Jack", but was subsequently removed from the project by producer Robert Stigwood. Despite having almost completed a second solo album, Sing Slowly Sisters, Gibb reunited with his brothers, who then revived the Bee Gees. The group came back on a high note, reaching No. 3 on the US charts with the song "Lonely Days" in 1970. In 1971, the Bee Gees had their first US No.1 hit, "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", but after that their popularity started to ebb.

In 1974, with new producer Arif Mardin, the Bee Gees reinvented themselves with the song "Blue-Eyed Soul". The group now entered their second period of phenomenal success in the disco-era late 1970s.^[18]

In 1978, Gibb performed on the Sesame Street Fever album for the Sesame Street children's TV program. He was one of the singers on the "Sesame Street Fever" title track, he sang a song called "Trash" for the character Oscar the Grouch, and spoke with Cookie Monster at the beginning of "C is for Cookie".

While continuing in the Bee Gees, Gibb also promoted his new solo career. During the 1980s, Gibb released three solo albums (How Old Are You?, Secret Agent, and Walls Have Eyes). These three albums were more successful in Europe than in the UK or US, with How Old Are You? spawning the hit single "Juliet". However, Gibb's 1984 single "Boys Do Fall in Love" did reach the Billboard Magazine top 40 list of hits. Gibb also recorded several extended versions of dance songs, including "Boys Do Fall in Love", "Secret Agent", "Like a Fool" and the rarest, "You Don't Say Us Anymore"; many of these extended versions were released to radio disc jockeys only.

On 27 January 2003, fifteen days after Maurice died, Gibb released a new solo album, Magnet in Germany on SPV GmbH, and worldwide shortly afterwards. Magnet featured the Bee Gees song "Wish You Were Here" (from the 1989 album One) in a new acoustic version. The lead single, "Please", had coincidental lyrics about "loss". After Maurice's death, Gibb and Barry again disbanded the Bee Gees; however, in late 2009, the two brothers announced that they would reform and perform again as the Bee Gees whenever they could. In recent years, Gibb sang the vocals to the opening titles to the British ITV show The Dame Edna Treatment.^[19]

On 18 May 2008, Gibb released the song "Alan Freeman Days" in tribute to the Australian DJ Alan Freeman. The song was issued as a download only track, although a promotional CD was issued by Academy Recordings. In December 2008, "Alan Freeman Days" was followed by another downloadable song titled "Wing and a Prayer", which shared the same name as a song from the 1989 One album. However, the new song was actually a reworking of the song, "Sing Slowly Sisters", that had remained unreleased since 1970.^[20] Later in December, Gibb issued another song, "Ellan Vannin (Home Coming Mix)", featuring the King William's College Choir from the Isle of Man. ("Ellan Vannin" is the Manx name for the Isle of Man.)

In 2008, Gibb completed a new solo album entitled 50 St. Catherine's Drive, but it was never released. However, in August 2009, a 50-second video clip of "Instant Love" from 50 St. Catherine's Drive appeared as a preview. "Instant Love" was a collaboration with Gibb's son Robin-John. A second version of "Instant Love" featuring Robin-John on vocals appeared in a short film called Bloodtype: The Search in which Robin-John appeared.^[21]

Gibb and Robin-John also wrote the score for The Titanic Requiem, recorded by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for the 2012 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.^[22] Gibb was due to attend the piece's premier on 10 April 2012 at the Central Hall, Westminster, London but his failing health kept him away.^[23]

In 2010, Gibb was also a guest mentor on the Australian version of The X Factor, alongside TV host Kyle Sandilands, actress/singer Natalie Imbruglia, and singers Ronan Keating and Guy Sebastian.^[24]

Collaborations[link]

In August 2003, Gibb announced the release of a new single of "My Lover's Prayer", a song first recorded by the Bee Gees in 1997, with vocals by Gibb and singers Wanya Morris and Lance Bass. "My Lover's Prayer" was played on the radio, but was never actually released. In October 2003, Gibb recorded a second version of this song as a duet with singer Alistair Griffin, a runner-up in the UK television program Fame Academy on which Gibb had appeared as a judge. In January 2004, the new "My Lover's Prayer" was released in the UK as a double A side CD single. It eventually reached number 5 in the UK music charts.

In January 2005, Gibb joined his brother Barry and several other artists under the name One World Project to record a charity single in aid of Asian tsunami relief, titled "Grief Never Grows Old". Other artists who performed on the single included Boy George, Steve Winwood, Jon Anderson, Rick Wakeman, Sir Cliff Richard, Bill Wyman, America, Kenny Jones, Chicago, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, Russell Watson and Davy Spillane.

In June 2005, Gibb joined X Factor runner up band G4 at a sell-out concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, singing the Bee Gees song "First of May". In December 2005, a recording of this performance was released as part of a double A side single, credited as "G4 feat Robin Gibb" together with G4's cover version of the Johnny Mathis song "When a Child is Born". "First of May" also appeared on the platinum selling album G4 & Friends, which reached number 6 in the UK album charts.

In November 2006, Gibb released an album of Christmas carols called Robin Gibb – My Favourite Carols, backed by The Serlo Consort, a London choir. The Serlo Consort. The album also featured a new song by Gibb called "Mother of Love", which was released in Europe as a download single. The song was inspired by Maurice and was Gibb's first new composition since Maurice died. Gibb donated all royalties from "Mother of Love" to the "Janki Foundation for Global Healthcare", and dedicated the song to Dadi Janki, the organisation's spiritual leader. Gibb dedicated the album to his mother, Barbara Gibb. Robin Gibb – My Favourite Carols has a bonus DVD disc titled A Personal Christmas Moment with Robin Gibb.

Gibb went back to the top of the UK charts in 2009 when he collaborated with singers Ruth Jones, Rob Brydon, and Tom Jones on a new version of "Islands in the Stream", written by Gibb, Barry, and Maurice. The new version, inspired by the BBC comedy TV show Gavin & Stacey, was created to benefit the charity Comic Relief.^[25]

In September 2011, Gibb recorded the Bee Gees classic "I've Gotta Get a Message to You" with British Army men The Soldiers for a charity single in the UK, the video for which was produced by Vintage TV.^[26]

Concerts[link]

Robin Gibb performs on the Dutch television network AVRO programme TopPop in 1973

Gibb performing in 2009

In late 2004, Gibb embarked on a solo tour of Germany, Russia and Asia, with singer Alistair Griffin as the opening act. On his return to the UK, Gibb released a CD and DVD of live recordings from the German leg of the tour, backed by the Frankfurt Neue Philharmonic Orchestra of Frankfurt, Germany. In 2005, Gibb made a solo tour of Latin America.

On 20 February 2006, Gibb and Barry performed at a concert for the Diabetes Research Institute of the University of Miami in Hollywood, Florida. This was their first joint performance since Maurice's death.^[27] In March 2006, Gibb announced plans for more solo concerts in Shanghai, China and Portugal. In May 2006, Gibb took part in the Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Concert at the Tower of London along with Barry. They sang three songs: "Jive Talkin'", "To Love Somebody" and "You Should Be Dancing". In September 2006, Gibb performed "Stayin' Alive" at the Miss World 2006 contest finals in Warsaw, Poland. In November 2006, Gibb performed a solo concert, entitled "Bee Gees – Greatest Hits", at the Araneta Coliseum in Manila, Philippines.

Gibb marked his return to his birthplace by playing a concert at the Isle of Man TT festival in 2007. Gibb donated all of his share of the money from this concert to the children's ward at Noble's Hospital, Isle of Man, and invited all emergency service staff and marshals for the TT to attend for free.

On 8 September 2007, Gibb performed a concert in Salt Lake City, Utah at EnergySolutions Arena for the Nu Skin Enterprises Convention, singing a set of Bee Gees hits. On 25 October 2007, Gibb performed a concert at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia, Bulgaria and sang the Bee Gees' most famous songs. On 25 October 2008, to mark the 30th anniversary of the song "Saturday Night Fever" topping the UK charts, Gibb performed with special guests including Ronan Keating, Stephen Gateley, Sam Sparro, Sharleen Spiteri, Gabriella Cilmi and Bryn Christopher at the London music festival BBC Electric Proms. In 2010, Gibb toured Australia with Bonnie Tyler as his supporting guest.^[28] Together they performed at Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.^[29] On 30 January 2012, Gibb announced his intention to appear on stage at the Coming Home Concert at the London Palladium in February to benefit British soldiers returning home from Afghanistan.^[30][31] It would be his last performance on stage.^[9]

Personal life[link]

In 1968 Gibb married Molly Hullis, a secretary in Robert Stigwood's organisation. The couple had both survived the Hither Green rail crash, which killed 49 people on 5 November 1967.^[32] They had two children together, Spencer (b. 1972) and Melissa (b. 1974). The couple divorced in 1980 after years of living separate lives, with Gibb almost permanently in the U.S. and Hullis remaining in the UK.^[33]

Gibb's second marriage, from 1985 until his death,^[34] was to Dwina Murphy Gibb, an author and artist. She is interested in the Druidry religion and is a follower of the neo-Hindu Brahma Kumaris movement. The couple has a son, Robin-John (known as RJ (b. 1983). Gibb and his wife divided their time between their homes in Peel, Isle of Man, their mansion in Miami, Florida (which was as of November 2011 up for sale^[35]) and their main residence in Thame, Oxfordshire.^[36]

On 10 March 1988, Andy Gibb died in Oxford, England, of myocarditis.^[37] On 12 January 2003, Maurice Gibb died in Miami Beach, Florida of complications from a twisted intestine.

On 4 November 2008, he had a fourth child, Snow Evelyn Robin Juliet Gibb, born out of a private relationship with a housekeeper,^[38] Claire Yang.^[34]

Gibb was "an ardent vegan and teetotaller".^[39]

In politics, Gibb was a vocal supporter of the British Labour Party and launched a rally in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, ahead of the 2005 General Election.^[40] He was a close friend of the former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was criticised for staying over at Gibb's Miami mansion during Christmas 2006.^[41] In 2008 Gibb publicly stated that he continued to get on "like a house on fire" with Blair, and claimed that the then Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown regularly listened to the Bee Gees.^[42] "He listens to our music every day. Gordon likes our music and I like Gordon," he told The Times.^[43] In a tribute upon his death, longtime friend Tony Blair said: "Robin was not only an exceptional and extraordinary musician and songwriter, he was a highly intelligent, interested and committed human being. He was a great friend with a wonderful open and fertile mind and a student of history and politics."^[44][45]

Health problems and death[link]

On 14 August 2010, while performing in Belgium, Gibb began to feel abdominal pains. On 18 August, he was rushed to a hospital in Oxford, England and underwent emergency surgery for a blocked intestine, the same condition that killed Maurice.^[46] Gibb recovered and returned to perform concerts in New Zealand and Australia. During this time, Gibb was also involved in promoting fund-raising for the memorial dedicated to RAF Bomber Command in Green Park, London. Gibb also wrote The Titanic Requiem with his son Robin-John, which was recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic in 2012.^[47] Gibb continued to make television appearances and other events following his surgery, but in April 2011 he was forced by health problems to cancel his tour of Brazil.^[46] Another concert in Paris was cancelled in October 2011. On 14 October, Gibb was due to perform the charity single with The Soldiers, but was again rushed to hospital with severe abdominal pains.^[48] On 18 October, following his release from the hospital, Gibb appeared on ITV's The Alan Titchmarsh Show looking gaunt and frail.^[49]

On 27 October 2011, Gibb cancelled an appearance only minutes before he was due to perform at the Poppy Appeal Concert in London.^[50] Later the same week however, Gibb was seen in London and quoted as saying he felt "absolutely great".^[51]

In November 2011, Gibb said he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer which metastasised to his liver several months earlier. A source close to the singer stated that his condition was "not good" and that his family rushed to the UK to be with him.^[52] In an interview published in The Mail on Sunday on 22 January 2012, Gibb spoke for the first time of the cancer.

"For more than 18 months, I had lived with an inflammation of the colon; then I was diagnosed with colon cancer, which spread to the liver. I have undergone chemotherapy, however, and the results — to quote my doctor — have been 'spectacular'. It’s taken a toll, naturally, but the strange thing is that I've never felt seriously ill. I’ve mostly felt great. There have been many false claims around, which I'd like to dispel. I am not and have never been 'at death's door'. Nor do I have a team of alternative doctors working on my health. That's not true, although I'm not averse to healthy remedies for any illness. I feel they can go together with conventional medicine. I do eat health foods and drink herbal teas made for me by Dwina, my wife and RJ's mother. Other than that, I am under the care of Dr. Peter Harper at The London Clinic".^[53]

In March 2012, Gibb was hospitalised for intestinal surgery and cancelled scheduled appearances while recovering.^[54][55] In April, however, he contracted pneumonia and fell into a coma.^[56][57] Although he came out of his coma later in April,^[58] his colorectal cancer had advanced^[59] and he died suddenly in London on 20 May 2012 at the age of 62 from liver and kidney failure.^[8][60][61]

His funeral will be held near his home in Thame, Oxfordshire, and a memorial service will take place at St Paul's Cathedral, London.^[62]

Acclaim and recognition[link]

Gibb among Jamie Oliver, Larry Hagman and others at Laureates 2010

In 1994, Gibb was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California. In 1997, the Bee Gees were inducted as a group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, US. At the 1997 BRIT Awards held in Earls Court, London on 24 February, the Bee Gees received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.^[63]

In 2002, Gibb was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 New Year Honours, along with his brothers Maurice and Barry. However, the official presentation ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London was delayed until 2004 due to Maurice's death.^[6]

In May 2004, Gibb and his brother Barry both received honorary doctorates of music from The University of Manchester, England.^[64] In 2005, Gibb received the Steiger Award (Miner Award) in Bochum, Germany for accomplishments in the arts. On 10 July 2009, both Gibb and Barry were made Freemen of the Borough of Douglas, Isle of Man. The award was also bestowed posthumously on Maurice, therefore confirming the freedom of the town of their birth to Gibb, Barry and Maurice.^[65]

The radio and television presenter, Paul Gambaccini has stated that the Bee Gees were "second only to Lennon and McCartney as the most successful songwriting unit in British popular music", and recognised Gibb as "one of the major figures in the history of British music [and] one of the best white soul voices ever".^[8] Gibb was a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).^[66]

Discography[link]

Gibb's entire song catalogue is published by Universal Music Publishing Group.

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]