Were Ringo Starr and Maurice Gibb ever in a synth-band together?

28 April 2025, 12:11

Britain has certainly produced its fair share of iconic bands.

When talking of musical greats, The Beatles are understandably always on the tip of people's tongues.

Not only did the four Liverpudlians' music define their generation, their output has also shaped generations of artists and bands since, influencing acts coming out today even still.

Together John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr achieved unprecedented levels of commercial success while concurrently pushing the boundaries of what was possible within popular music.

They weren't the only group of merry men born on the British Isles who changed the face of contemporary music, however.

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The Bee Gees certainly gave the Fab Four a run for their money when it came to levels of chart success.

Led by Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb, the band of brothers sold millions of records worldwide themselves, scored chart hit after chart hit on both sides of the Atlantic over the course of five decades, shapeshifting musically with the times whilst defining disco's mainstream breakthrough during the seventies.

But there was a point in time when their paths would cross musically, when Ringo and Maurice started a short-lived synth-band together.

The Bee Gees have never been a world away from The Beatles, both musically or professionally.

Their manager Robert Stigwood was a close associate of The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein, who would later merge his company NEMS Enterprises with Stigwood's company RSO.

He signed the Bee Gees shortly after the merger, who had returned to the UK after spending six years in Australia where they'd forged their career to date.

After Epstein's death however, The Beatles refused Stigwood's offer to be their manager and instead founded Apple Records.

Vocal about how influenced they were by The Beatles, the Bee Gees even made the ill-fortuned musical jukebox movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1978, paying homage to their heroes when the Gibb brothers were the world's biggest act.

On a personal basis, Ringo Starr and Maurice Gibb became incredibly close, however, especially once they became next-door neighbours.

The pair both lived in Esher, on the Surrey-London border, and quickly struck up a friendship.

Both were the jokers of the pack in their respected groups, and both shared a penchant for drinking heavily - the basis for all roaring friendships in the music world, surely.

During time off work, Ringo and Maurice would peruse the local watering holes, bonding over booze and the respect for each other's bands.

Mo' even invited Ringo and his wife Maureen along with him to the F1 Grand Prix in Monaco in 1971, which encouraged Starr to move there four years later (though it was mainly due to tax avoidance purposes).

Still, amid the mischief and mayhem, Ringo and Maurice managed to make some music together.

Ringo was recording instrumental pieces for a synthesiser album he was producing at home in 1969, when neighbour Maurice popped by.

Gibb then recorded random words and phrases over the top of Ringo's synthesiser, resulting in a track titled 'Modulating Maurice', according to a newspaper interview with Ringo that year.

Given his expertise on instruments like the guitar, bass, piano, and synthesisers himself, it's likely the only track that Maurice contributed solely lyrics to.

The proposed album between the two was eventually abandoned however.

Clearly, the two prioritised boozing and goofing around together, though they'd even film some comedy sketches together in Ringo's back garden.

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Maurice Gibb & Ringo Starr Fooling Around 1

Together the two evidently had comedic chemistry, and had they not been astronomically successful musicians they probably could've carved out careers as comedians.

The series of sketches were titled Who Goes There? and though a full release was planned it never came to fruition.

The 11-minute long videotape only became public knowledge after the pair donated it to an auction in aid of the Andy Gibb Foundation after the singer's tragic and premature death.

Maurice was nine years Ringo's junior, and had admired The Beatles from far away in Australia as a young boy.

So it must've been a pinch me moment for Gibb, not only being in close proximity to Ringo but also became his dear friend.

'Modulating Maurice' has never seen the light of day - not to be confused with a bootleg of the same name which is actually a Bee Gees demo of 'To Dance Again' - but the two jesters at least had a jolly time making music and together amid their drunken misadventures.