The B-52s

The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant <a href="/facts/Grocer%27s_apostrophe/vnPUFIYz">apostrophe</a>; used until 2008), are an American <a href="/facts/New_wave_music/jw9IYpDh">new wave</a> band formed in <a href="/facts/Athens,_Georgia/j6eYIlRR">Athens, Georgia</a>, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of <a href="/facts/Fred_Schneider/3NmrWthw">Fred Schneider</a> (vocals, percussion), <a href="/facts/Kate_Pierson/XzFdh9AN">Kate Pierson</a> (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), <a href="/facts/Cindy_Wilson/MDKvGTff">Cindy Wilson</a> (vocals, percussion), <a href="/facts/Ricky_Wilson_(guitarist)/qEBowm85">Ricky Wilson</a> (guitar, vocals), and <a href="/facts/Keith_Strickland/pdQEdrvM">Keith Strickland</a> (drums, guitar, keyboards, vocals). Ricky Wilson died of <a href="/facts/AIDS/RqLIEMuJ">AIDS</a>-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.
The B-52s have had many hits, including "<a href="/facts/Rock_Lobster/LeRgdlsR">Rock Lobster</a>", "<a href="/facts/Planet_Claire/FJy2NgW6">Planet Claire</a>", "<a href="/facts/Party_Out_of_Bounds/8HsyvCJW">Party Out of Bounds</a>", "<a href="/facts/Private_Idaho/Vs94FX0t">Private Idaho</a>", "<a href="/facts/Whammy_Kiss/2CFqWPJ4">Whammy Kiss</a>", "<a href="/facts/Summer_of_Love_(The_B-52%27s_song)/z5jc5Mra">Summer of Love</a>", "<a href="/facts/Wig_(song)/j8obXFUP">Wig</a>", "<a href="/facts/Love_Shack/5G8mJIfz">Love Shack</a>", "<a href="/facts/Roam/Jgpw0Iay">Roam</a>", "Funplex" and "<a href="/facts/Meet_the_Flintstones/DrhskAE9">(Meet) The Flintstones</a>". They have been nominated for three <a href="/facts/Grammy_Awards/2bxYJjPV">Grammy Awards</a>: twice for <a href="/facts/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Pop_Performance_by_a_Duo_or_Group_with_Vocals/Chc0Nq5x">Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group</a> in 1990 and 1991, and for <a href="/facts/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Alternative_Music_Album/wUK67nYA">Best Alternative Music Album</a> in 1992. In April 2022, the group announced they were retiring from touring. 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 <a href="/facts/Camp_(style)/csF8XRpL">camp</a>/<a href="/facts/Kitsch/6jlx8rNY">kitsch</a> culture. Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson sometimes use <a href="/facts/Call_and_response_(music)/mPEk2yDk">call-and-response</a>-style vocals (Schneider's often humorous <a href="/facts/Sprechgesang/W62o2qM1">Sprechgesang</a> contrasting with Wilson's 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.

The B-52s open-in-new

The B-52s