The B-52s
American rock band
The B-52s are an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synthesizer bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, percussion), Ricky Wilson (guitar, vocals), and Keith Strickland (drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals). Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland permanently switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various auxiliary members for albums and live performances.
The B-52s have had many hits, including "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "Party Out of Bounds", "Private Idaho", "Whammy Kiss", "Summer of Love", "Wig", "Love Shack", "Roam", "Funplex", and "(Meet) The Flintstones". They have been nominated for three Grammy Awards, twice for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group in 1990 and 1991, and for Best Alternative Music Album in 1992. A 2023 Las Vegas residency was announced in November 2022.
The group evoked a "thrift-shop aesthetic", in Bernard Gendron's words, by drawing from 1950s and 1960s pop music, rock-and-roll, and camp/kitsch culture. Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson sometimes use call-and-response-style vocals (Schneider's often humorous and camp Sprechgesang contrasting with Wilson and Pierson's melodic harmonies), and their guitar- and keyboard-driven instrumentation is their trademark sound, which was also set apart from their contemporaries by the unusual guitar tunings Ricky Wilson used on their earlier albums.
History
1976–1979: Formation and early years
The group formed in 1976 when Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (her elder brother), Pierson, Strickland, and Schneider held an impromptu jam session after sharing a flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia.
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