Rob’s first book was ‘New Kids on the Block – The Whole Story By Their Friends’, a biography of the America pop phenomenon. The book was co-written with his father, Robin, also a journalist, and self-published in March 1990. It became a worldwide sensation and reached No.10 on the New York Times bestsellers list and remained on the WH Smith’s bestsellers in the UK for many months.
Rob and his father co-wrote three more books together during their brief working partnership: ‘Gazza!’, the first biography of England footballer Paul Gascoigne; ‘Phillip Schofield – The Whole Amazing Story’, which charted the career of the popular TV presenter; and ‘Simply Mick’, the definitive biography of Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall, which reached No.7 on the Sunday Times bestsellers in May 1993.
During the ’90s, Rob also wrote a series of successful biographies of the biggest pop stars of that decade, including Take That, Boyzone, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Westlife and, lastly, the foul-mouthed American rapper Eminem. Rob “retired” from the showbiz book groove in 2000. By then, pretty much like the people he had been writing about, Rob was a bit too old to be doing that job.
Since then, Rob has been developing numerous writing projects beyond celebrities. And continues to do so…with unrelenting frustration and pain. Call it second album syndrome.
Full bibliography for the celebtriy biographies from 1990-2000
By Rob McGibbon and Robin McGibbon
New Kids on the Block – The Whole Story By Their Friends
Published by Robin McGibbon March 1990. Price £3.95. It reached No.10 on the New York Times Bestsellers list.
Gazza!
Published by Penguin October 1990. Price £3.99
Phillip Schofield – The Whole Amazing Story. Published by Robin McGibbon April 1992. Price £4.50
Simply Mick – Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, The Inside Story
Hardback published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson April 1993. Price £15.99. It reached No.7 on the Sunday Times Bestsellers list.
Trade paperback published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson April 1993. Price £9.99
Paperback published by Orion October 1994. Price £4.99
By Rob McGibbon
Take That – The Whole Story
Published by Goldmann Verlag, Germany, April 1994. Germany only.
Boyzone – On The Road
Published by Boxtree September 1996. Price £5.99
Backstreet Boys – The Official Biography
Published by Boxtree June 1997. Price £6.99
Boyzone – The True Story
Published by Boxtree September 1997. Price £6.99
Spice Power – The Inside Story of the Spice Girls
Published by Boxtree September 1997. Price £6.99
Backstreet Boys – On The Road
Published by Boxtree March 1999. Price £6.99
Westlife – Our Story, The Official Biography
Published by Virgin November 1999. Price £12.99
Eminem – The Real Fucking Story
Published by Goldmann Verlag August 2000. Germany only.