Composed of:

Kate Pierson: Vocals/Keyboard

Fred Schneider - vocals, toy piano

Keith Strickland - guitars/keyboard

Cindy Wilson - vocals/percussion

Ricky Wilson - guitars/vocals

One of the coolest bands that you don't wanna admit you love. Cheese-o-rama spectacular. Named for the old bouffant hairdos that were popular at the time. Used to be known for their hairdos, toy instruments, and other eclectic icons that made them part of the underground, but now mainly recognized for "Love Shack." Usually grouped next to Blondie and The Talking Heads in music stores, although the girl at the local Sam Goody has created her own personal shrine to their New Wave goodness.

Starting out in Athens, Georgia, the B-52's "purvey their absurd B movie style and off kilter sound, celebrating the weirdness lurking just behind the surface of Americana- not exactly a recipe for chart sucess, but way ahead of its time, nonetheless." (taken from theb52s.com) The band played their first gig at a friend's Valentine's Day bash. Their good songs include

Rock Lobster

Planet Claire

Hallucinating Pluto

Girl from Ipanema

Mesopotamia

Love Shack

Unfortunately, they never got to enjoy the peak of their popularity. Their guitarist, Ricky Wilson, died of AIDS in 1985. After a three year hiatus, they made a comeback with Cosmic Thing, the album that made them the front runners of the New Wave movement. After the success, Kate Pierson pulled a Behind The Music and jumped ship, exhausted from touring. She popped out a baby girl, and did some collaborative work with R.E.M. and Iggy Pop. Over the years, the entire band became very loud about AIDS, animal rights, and other environmental causes, deviating from their mindless-pop-New Wave-phase. They did release the Flintstone's Theme Song shortly after, so they weren't exactly kneeling down before Capitol Hill yet.

Fortunately, Cindy reunited circa 1997, and released "Debbie", their tribute to long time band supporter Debbie Harry. Their latest album is called Songs for a New Generation, probably a ploy to entice a new group of avid B-52's fans.

Personally, I think there is nothing funner than blasting their music on a long expanse of highway with good friends, shaking your booty like no one's watching, and emulating Kate Pierson's sultry yells and whelps. Loooooooove shack!

Their official debut was on Valentine's Day 1977 at a friend's party. As the cookie crumbles, they made a few more performances in Athens, then began taking trips back and forth to New York City to play gigs, their first being an opener for Max's Kansas City in December 1977. They performed more often in New York than back home, only playing in Athens every couple months.

Warner Bros. took notice and signed The B-52's in the United States, Island Records in the United Kingdom.

Listening to the self-titled debut album, you may feel like you're walking into some kind of 1960s B-movie alternate universe. Three men and two women make up the inaugural membership of the band, decked out in thrift-store kitsch, the female members sporting bouffant (or "B-52") hairdos. You are inundated with dark guitar riffs, liberal organ use, and constant uptempo positivity. Shaking your ass is almost impossible to resist.

Throughout the line of B-52's work from the 70's to present, you will grow to enjoy a fiery Fred's form of lion-like speak-singing, and impeccable harmonies between Kate and Cindy to rival those of the Mamas and the Papas. It's simply a perfect combination.

Tracks on The B-52's, copyright 1979 by Warner Bros. Records Inc.:

01. Planet Claire
02. 52 Girls
03. Dance This Mess Around
04. Rock Lobster
05. Lava
06. There's A Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)
07. Hero Worship
08. 6060-842
09. Downtown (a distinctive cover of the 1965 Petula Clark hit)

The B-52s' album releases:

• The B-52's, 1979


• Wild Planet, 1980


• Party Mix!, 1981


• Mesopotamia, 1982


• Whammy!, 1983


• Bouncing Off the Satellites, 1986


• Cosmic Thing, 1989


• Dance This Mess Around: The Best of the B-52's, 1990


• Good Stuff, 1992


• Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation, 1998


• Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology, 2002

From their debut album on through present day, the B-52's have kept their campy attire, progressive attitudes, and strong resistance to media hype. Their most noticeable mainstream success was with Cosmic Thing, partly due to the airing of the video to the ever-popular Love Shack on MTV. They've journeyed from B-movie camp, through 80's synth influences, onto marketworthy yet uncompromising high-energy tunes, guaranteed to keep your mind on and your party jumping.

Inaugural members of The B-52's:

• Fred Schneider III


• Kate Pierson


• Cindy Wilson


• The late Ricky Wilson


• Keith Strickland

After Ricky's untimely death of AIDS in 1985, Keith switched roles in the band. Originally the drummer, he became the primary guitarist. Since Ricky's death, The B-52's have outsourced for additional musical talent, such as bassist Sara Lee. Drummers include Leroy Clouden, Charlie Drayton, Sonny Emory and Steve Lemore. In the making of Cosmic Thing, Nile Rodgers not only produces the album, but contributes on the electric guitar.

Having toured the world and gained acclaim throughout, the B-52's are still at it in the fine year of 2002. Most recently, as noted above, they released a retrospective anthology through Rhino Records. For the television viewers, keep an ear out for their short in a recent Target commercial.

They may be as old as my parents, but they aren't stopping anytime soon.