Also in 1955, he started his music career when he joined the skiffle/rock-and-roll group the Rattlesnakes with his brothers and two friends, Paul Frost and Kenny Horrocks, who were their neighbours.

The group's first major appearance was on 28 December 1957 when they performed at a local Gaumont cinema where children were invited to sing between films.

They had planned to sing along to a 78 rpm record which Lesley had just been given as a Christmas present, but on the way Gibb dropped and broke it, so they sang live.

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", 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, Lori Balmer, Marty Rhone, Vyt, Python Lee Jackson, Dennis Knight, Barrington Davis, Jenene and Jon Blanchfield.

[12] 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.

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 in 1969 called the Fut was formed at a 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.

Maurice later began taking a few lead vocals on a Bee Gees tracks in the 70s such as "Lay It on Me", "Country Woman", "On Time" and "You Know It's For You".

[21] In 1982, Gibb appeared at the San Remo Festival and performed "Wildflower", a Bee Gees' song on which he provided lead vocals from Living Eyes.

By February 1984, he collaborated with arranger Jimmie Haskell for the film soundtrack of A Breed Apart, recorded at Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles.

[25] On 24 April 2001, The Bee Gees released their 23rd and final studio album, This Is Where I Came In, which included his songs, "Walking on Air" and "Man in the Middle".

Gibb died suddenly at the age of 53 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, on 12 January 2003; he went into cardiac arrest prior to emergency surgery for a twisted intestine.

[34] DJ Paul Gambaccini said: "Maurice was the talented multi-instrumentalist, I mean here is a guy who played keyboards, guitar, bass and percussion.

"[35] Bruce Eder of AllMusic declared the track "Back Home" had "the loudest guitar ever heard on a Bee Gees record".

The songs "Words" (1968), "Lonely Days" (1970) and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" (1971) were the frequent numbers at Bee Gees concerts.

[41] In a continuity link for the song on the Top Of The Pops 2 special, in support of the album This Is Where I Came In Robin mentioned Lennon's guitar and Maurice confirmed it was his Epiphone.

[44][45][46][47] As a songwriter, Gibb contributed primarily to melody, with his brothers writing the lyrics that they would sing on the finished song (for the most part).

It is difficult to identify his contributions because the songs were so shaped to the singer, but his brothers' continued writing collaboration with him on solo projects shows how much they relied on him.

He was sometimes known as "the quiet one" for his less obvious contributions to the group, but privately he was a good teller of stories, who immensely enjoyed talking with fans.

[48] In 1966, Gibb became a session musician in Australia for other artists including Bip Addison, Anne Shelton, April Bryon, Barrington Davis and singer Jon.

[2] Around 1969, Gibb worked with his next-door neighbour, Beatle Ringo Starr, and the result was the track "Modulating Maurice" but it was not released.

[15] Around 1970, Gibb played piano on George Harrison's song "Isn't It a Pity" as a part of his first triple solo album, All Things Must Pass.

The same year, Gibb produced Drift Away, an album released by Bob Saker and Mike Berry; it includes a cover version of "On Time".

[54] In 1978, Gibb produced with Steve Klein the Osmonds' album Steppin' Out, which features a cover version of the Bee Gees' "Rest Your Love on Me".

[55] In 1980, Gibb co-wrote with Tim Rice "Last Affair of the Heart", which was recorded by Elaine Paige at AIR Studios in London along with "Secrets" and "Carried Away".

One of Gibb's last recordings was on the demo of "I Cannot Give You My Love" on which he played keyboards with his brother Barry taking the lead vocals.

Because of the stories of my affairs with Lulu and Sarolta, the fans feel, 'Oh, we won't bother about Maurice because he's always got a steady girl'.

In an interview, Maurice acknowledged that his final years of alcohol abuse had been driven by his failure to reach Andy before his death, and his subsequent guilt.

[64] A novel entitled Souls Stick Around: A Tale of the Black Hills and Maurice Gibb, was published in March 2012 by Bee Gees fan and author Dawnette Owens.