The Bee Gees Debuted on The Ed Sullivan Show 53 Years Ago Today

On March 17, 1968, the Bee Gees made their American TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, and their look was a far cry from the disco icons they would eventually become. 

The Bee Gees had already been around for a decade at that point, but had only just put out their second album. Instead of the Saturday Night Fever-era white suits, beards, and open collars, they were still very much in the late '60s, clean-shaven, with Barry Gibb up front with much shorter hair, and a blue blazer, a different shade of blue pants, and a super-high yellow collar with a maroon ascot. Robin Gibb, meanwhile, was at the piano with a dark orange jacket and a pink shirt, and Maurice Gibb sported that green, brown, and yellow ensemble that would soon define the entirety of 1970s home decor. Only Vince Melouney, who would leave the group later that year, had the white pants that would eventually become iconic.  

They performed the song "Words," backed by a string orchestra, which would reach #15 on the Billboard charts.

Andy Hunsaker has a head full of sitcom gags and nerd-genre lore, and can be followed @AndyHunsaker if you're into that sort of thing.