Editing Maurice Gibb (section)

=== 1958–1969:  a trio to a quintet, Robin's absence and temporary breakup ===
When Gibb was eight years old, he emigrated to [[Redcliffe, Queensland|Redcliffe]], in [[Queensland]], Australia, with his family. Shortly afterward, he and his brothers formed the [[Bee Gees]]. By January 1963, the Gibbs moved to Sydney. The group's first single was "[[The Battle of the Blue and the Grey]]" but it failed to chart. Around 1963, the Gibb brothers worked with Judy Stone, Johnny Devlin and Jimmy Hannan. By 1964, Gibb made his first appearance as an instrumentalist on the beat-influenced "[[Claustrophobia (song)|Claustrophobia]]". Also in 1964, the Gibb brothers worked with Johnny Devlin and [[Trevor Gordon]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/64.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1964 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203140143/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/64.html |archive-date=3 February 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> Around 1965, the Gibb brothers worked with Trevor Gordon, Michelle Rae and [[Noeleen Batley]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/65.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1965 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=11 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203140149/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/63.html |archive-date=3 February 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://anguskidman.show/2023/08/22/bee-gees-michelle-rae/ |title=Whatever happened to Michelle Rae?  |date=August 22, 2023 |access-date=August 23, 2023 }}</ref>
[[File:Bee Gees in 1967.jpg|thumb|Gibb (second from left) with the Bee Gees in 1967, when the band was a quintet]]
In 1966, the three Gibb brothers wrote their first song, "The Storm". Also that year, Gibb began his career as the guitarist and bassist for the band; at around the same time he recorded his first solo song, "[[All by Myself (Bee Gees song)|All by Myself]]", on which he also played guitar. Around 1966, the Gibb brothers worked with Bip Addison, Sandy Summers, Anne Shelton, [[Vince Melouney]], April Bryon, [[MPD Ltd]], Ray Brown and the Whispers, [[Ronnie Burns (singer)|Ronnie Burns]], [[Lori Balmer]], Marty Rhone, Vyt, Python Lee Jackson, Dennis Knight, Barrington Davis, Jenene and Jon Blanchfield. Their second album, ''[[Spicks and Specks (album)|Spicks and Specks]]'' (1966), included "[[Where Are You (Bee Gees song)|Where Are You]]", Gibb's first solo writing credit to be released.<ref name="released">{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/66.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1966 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203140144/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/66.html |archive-date=3 February 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{quote box|quote="Maurice is closer to my attitudes and ideas. He has the same kind of humour as I have. We have other common interests like playing chess. He's the kind of guy who will come over and give you a hand washing the car."<ref name="around" /> |source=—[[Colin Petersen]], drummer for the Bee Gees on telling his band mates' personalities |width=25%|align=left|style=padding:8px;}}
In March 1967, the Gibb brothers worked with [[Billy J. Kramer]] recording "[[Town of Tuxley Toymaker, Part 1]]". Around the same time, Colin Petersen and Vince Melouney joined the Bee Gees. In the middle of 1967 ''[[Bee Gees' 1st]]'' was released. The album was praised by the critics who compared it to [[the Beatles]]' ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' which was released weeks earlier.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/67.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1967 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203140150/http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/67.htm |archive-date=3 February 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[AllMusic]]'s Bruce Eder wrote that Gibb's [[Mellotron]] on "[[Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You]]" 'was close in the spirit of [[the Moody Blues]] and was opened by a Gregorian chant.'<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/bee-gees-1st-mw0000198604 |title=Bee Gees – Bee Gees' 1st |last=Eder |first=Bruce |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228131431/https://www.allmusic.com/album/bee-gees-1st-mw0000198604 |archive-date=28 February 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> The band's first number 1 single in the UK, "[[Massachusetts (Bee Gees song)|Massachusetts]]" was released in September 1967. In early 1968, the ''[[Horizontal (album)|Horizontal]]'' was released. In August 1968, [[The Marbles (duo)|the Marbles]] released their first and only successful hit "[[Only One Woman]]" a song co-written by Gibb. In the middle of 1968, the band's third international LP ''[[Idea (album)|Idea]]'' included the song "[[Kitty Can]]", which features Gibb's high harmony vocal, with Barry Gibb singing low harmony.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/68.html |title=Gibb Songs: 1968 |last=Brennan |first=Joseph |access-date=11 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230301032726/https://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beegees/68.html |archive-date=1 March 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref> In early 1969, they released ''[[Odessa (Bee Gees album)|Odessa]]'', which features Gibb's solo vocals on "[[Suddenly (Bee Gees song)|Suddenly]]" and "[[I Laugh in Your Face]]". On 19 March 1969, the same day that Robin Gibb announced his plans as a solo artist, Gibb and his bandmates recorded and later released "[[Tomorrow Tomorrow (Bee Gees song)|Tomorrow Tomorrow]]".<ref name="album" />

Maurice and Barry alone comprised the Bee Gees on the 1969 album ''[[Cucumber Castle]]'' during Robin's absence as a soloist. They sang the hit "[[Don't Forget to Remember]]" (which reached number two on the UK chart while Robin's first solo single, "Saved by the Bell", also reached number two) and follow up singles; "IOIO" and "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" with Barry taking lead and Maurice providing harmony vocals, but the duo version of the group enjoyed dwindling success. A [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]] in 1969 called [[the Fut]] was formed at a [[Tin Tin (band)|Tin Tin]] session and they recorded "[[Have You Heard the Word]]" while Gibb was still a Bee Gee, and released later as a single, the band consisting of Gibb on vocals/bass/guitar, [[Steve Kipner]] and Steve Groves on vocals with Billy Lawrie also providing background vocals. "[[Have You Heard the Word]]" features Gibb impersonating [[John Lennon]], and Beatles fans thought that it was a lost Beatles song which had not been previously released. In 1985, [[Yoko Ono]] attempted to register the song as a Lennon composition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/01/bee-gee-and-pal.html |title=Fake Beatles No. 1: A Blotto Bee Gee and His Pals Around with the Fab Four |date=17 January 2008 |publisher=WFMU'S BEWARE of the BLOG |access-date=16 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223135410/https://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/01/bee-gee-and-pal.html |archive-date=23 February 2023 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 1 December 1969, Maurice and brother Barry announced to the world that the Bee Gees had broken up.<ref>{{cite book |last=Sandoval |first=Andrew |title=The Day-By-Day Story, 1945–1972 |year=2012 |publisher=Retrofuture Day-By-Day |isbn=978-0-943249-08-7 |pages=102–115 |edition=1st |type=Paperback}}</ref>