The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland. Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland permanently switched from drums to lead guitar. The band has also added various members for albums and live performances.
Catherine Elizabeth Pierson is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52s. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the early years, as well as being a vocalist, Pierson was the main keyboard player and performed on a keyboard bass during live shows and on many of the band's recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player, which differentiated the band from their contemporaries. This, along with Pierson's distinctive wide-ranging singing voice, remains a trademark of the B-52s' unique sound. Pierson has also collaborated with many other artists including the Ramones, Iggy Pop and R.E.M. Pierson possesses a mezzo-soprano vocal range.
Frederick William Schneider III is an American singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock band the B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his sprechgesang, which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars.
Wild Planet is the second studio album by American new wave band the B-52s, released in 1980 by Warner Bros. Records.
Cosmic Thing is the fifth studio album by American new wave band the B-52s, released in 1989 by Reprise Records. It contains the hit singles "Love Shack", "Roam" and "Deadbeat Club". The music video for "Love Shack" won the award for Best Group Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards. Six of the album's songs were produced by Nile Rodgers in New York City, and the remaining four by Don Was in upstate New York.
Whammy! is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1982 and produced by Steven Stanley. The album spawned three singles: "Legal Tender", "Whammy Kiss", and "Song for a Future Generation".
Bouncing off the Satellites is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the B-52s, released on September 8, 1986, by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Founding member and guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS after most of the work on the album was completed, but a year prior to its release. The band had gone on hiatus by the time Bouncing Off the Satellites was released, and it took three years for the band to recover from Wilson's death and release their next studio album, Cosmic Thing.
Cynthia Leigh Wilson is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during live shows. She is the younger sister of the late guitarist Ricky Wilson (1953–1985), who was also a founding member of the band.
Ricky Helton Wilson was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the B-52s. Born in Athens, Georgia, Wilson was the brother of fellow member Cindy Wilson. The B-52s were founded in 1976, when Ricky, Cindy, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland and Fred Schneider shared a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant and, after an impromptu music session at the home of their friend Owen Scott III, played for the first time at a Valentine's Day party for friends. Wilson's unusual guitar tunings were a large contribution to the band's quirky sound.
"Rock Lobster" is a song by American band the B-52's, written by Fred Schneider and Ricky Wilson, two members of the B-52's. It was twice recorded and released as a single, first by DB Records as their debut release in April 1978, and again the following year for the band's self-titled debut album on Warner Bros. Records.
Party Mix! is a remix album by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1981 by Warner Bros. Records. It features three songs from their first studio album, The B-52's (1979), and three songs from their second LP, Wild Planet (1980). It has received generally good reviews. Commercially, the album peaked at number 55 in the US and number 36 in the UK.
Mesopotamia is an EP by American new wave band the B-52's, released in 1982. It was produced by David Byrne of Talking Heads and was originally planned to be the band's third studio album. Due to conflicts with Byrne and record label pressure, recording sessions were aborted prematurely and only six of ten songs to be completed were released. The record was distributed as a 12-inch EP by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and by Island Records on vinyl and cassette in the UK and other non-U.S. markets.
"Party Out of Bounds" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's, from their second album, Wild Planet (1980). Featured with the other dancefloor-bound tracks from the album, the song peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1980 as an album cut and has long been a staple of alternative/new wave dance club playlists. Lyrically, the song is a guide on how to better plan house parties in order to prevent potential disasters. An instrumental dub mix was included on the B-side of the vinyl 45 rpm single "Private Idaho".
"Roam" is a song by American new wave band the B-52s released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). The vocals are sung by Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. The B-52's worked with a co-writer, Robert Waldrop, who penned the lyrics. Released as a single in 1989, "Roam" peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and entered the top 10 in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
Funplex is the seventh studio album by the B-52s, recorded during 2006 and 2007. The album was released on March 25, 2008, by Astralwerks Records. It was the first album of new material the group had released since Good Stuff in 1992, although the band did record two new songs for their 1998 compilation album Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation.
"Song for a Future Generation" is a song by new wave band the B-52s. The song was released as the third single from their third studio album Whammy! (1983), peaking at #63 on the UK Singles Chart. It is the first of two songs by the B-52s to feature more than three band members singing lead vocals, the second being "Theme for a Nude Beach" from their follow-up studio album Bouncing off the Satellites (1986).
"Planet Claire" is a song the B-52s released in July 1979 as the second single from their first album The B-52's. Based on Duane Eddy's version of Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme, the single reached number 43 on the Australian Kent Music Report chart and number 24 on the Billboard dance chart in the US.
"Whammy Kiss" is the second single released by the B-52s from their third studio album Whammy! (1983).
"Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52s from their fifth studio album, Cosmic Thing (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band, following their decline in popularity in the mid-1980s and the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985.
"Jungle Love" is a song from The Time's third album, Ice Cream Castle.
