Barry Gibb, best known as a founding member of the Bee Gees, was born on the Isle of Man 80 years ago, on 1 September 1946. He went on to become one of the most successful songwriters and producers in popular music, co-writing a string of chart-topping hits both for the Bee Gees and for other major artists, including "Islands in the Stream" for Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. His career matters because, alongside his brothers Robin and Maurice, he helped shape the sound of disco and left a songwriting legacy that industry figures compare only to Lennon and McCartney.

Raised in Manchester before the family emigrated to Australia, the Gibb brothers formed the Bee Gees and had early success with "Spicks and Specks" in 1966, before returning to England and breaking into the US charts with "New York Mining Disaster 1941" in 1967. Their contributions to the 1977 "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, featuring hits such as "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever", propelled the album to become the best-selling record of its time and earned them the nickname the "Disco Kings". Barry Gibb also wrote or co-wrote hits for artists including Frankie Valli, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Diana Ross and Olivia Newton-John, and the Bee Gees matched the Beatles' record of six consecutive US number-one singles.