Key facts
- Origin
- Athens, Georgia , U.S.
- Genres
- New wave dance-rock post-punk art pop pop rock synth-pop funk rock surf rock college rock
- Works
- Discography
- Years active
- 1976–1985, 1988–present
- Labels
- Island Warner Bros. Reprise Go! Astralwerks
- Members
- Kate Pierson Fred Schneider Keith Strickland Cindy Wilson
- Past members
- Ricky Wilson
- Website
- theb52s .com
via Wikipedia infobox
~21 min read
Encyclopedic overview
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, synth 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.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “The B-52's” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.