The B-52s (styled as The B-52's prior to 2008) are an American new wave band, formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards), Cindy Wilson (vocals, percussion), Ricky Wilson (lead guitar), and Keith Strickland (drums, rhythm guitar, keyboards). After Ricky Wilson's death from AIDS-related illness in 1985, Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band also added touring members for albums and live performances.

The B-52's were formed in 1976 when vocalist Cindy Wilson, her older brother and guitarist Ricky, keyboardist and vocalist Kate Pierson, original drummer and percussionist Keith Strickland and cowbell player, poet and lead vocalist Fred Schneider held an impromptu jam session after sharing a tropical Flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia. When they first jammed, Strickland played guitar and Ricky Wilson played congas. They later played their first concert (with Wilson playing guitar) in 1977 at a Valentine's Day party for their friends. The name B-52's comes from a particular beehive hairdo resembling the nose cone of the aircraft of the same name, which Pierson and Cindy Wilson became known for using in performances throughout the band's first decade. Other names the band considered were the "Tina-Trons" and "Fellini's Children." Strickland suggested the name after a dream he had had one night, of a band performing in a hotel lounge. In the dream he heard someone whisper in his ear that the name of the band was "the B-52s." The band's quirky take on the new wave sound of their era was a combination of dance and surf music set apart from their contemporaries by the unusual guitar tunings used by Ricky Wilson and thrift-store chic. Their first single, "Rock Lobster," recorded for DB Records in 1978, was an underground success, selling over 2,000 copies in total, that led to the B-52's performing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City in New York City. Both this version of "Rock Lobster" and its B-side "52 Girls" are different recordings from those on their first album, and the early version of "52 Girls" is in a different key. The re-recorded version of "Rock Lobster" was released as a single. In the UK and Germany it was backed with an instrumental version of "Running Around," a non-album track. (A vocal re-recording of this would appear on their second album, Wild Planet.) The buzz created by the record in the UK meant their first show in London at the Electric Ballroom, London, was packed in anticipation, with many UK pop stars such as Sandie Shaw, Green Gartside from Scritti Politti, Joe Jackson, and others in attendance. In Canada, released on the Warner Bros. label, the single went from cult hit to bona fide smash, eventually going on to reach the No. 1 position in the RPM-compiled national chart on May 24, 1980.

Ask a question about this article.
How were they discovered?