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The B-52's

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Athens, Georgia, United States (1976 – present)

The B-52’s are an American rock band formed 1976 in Athens, Georgia, United States. The band formed as Fred Schneider (vocals), Kate Pierson (vocals, organ), Cindy Wilson (vocals, guitar), Ricky Wilson (guitar) and Keith Strickland (drums). After Ricky Wilson died in 1985, Strickland replaced him as a guitarist. The band is perhaps best known for their 1978 single “Rock Lobster” and their 1989 pop smash “Love Shack”.

The name comes from the bouffant wigs that are part of the band’s distinctive look, worn by singers Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson. Along with Wilson and Pierson, fellow vocalist Fred Schneider, drummer (and later guitarist) Keith Strickland and guitarist Ricky Wilson (Cindy’s older brother) formed the band after a drunken night at a Chinese restaurant.

Their sound is particularly marked by the vocals of Wilson and Pierson, with Kate singing in a slightly deeper voice, along with the generally monotone or spoken-word vocals of Schneider. Aside from their vocals, the band also had a unique New Wave sound that was a combination of dance and surf music, and the unusual guitar-string tunings utilized by Ricky Wilson. Although part of the new wave movement, their music was more experimental than most new wave, indulging in all manner of odd vocal and synthesizer effects. It created a quirky dance sound that became very popular.

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  • The B-52's
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  • Time Capsule
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  • Cosmic Thing
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  • Wild Planet
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Top Tracks

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391
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  • metawirt

    "Hell! The devil's in my car"...

    14 days ago
  • RedjMusic

    fan since about 1980

    16 days ago
  • rrrrrmmmmm

    Thought Roam would be higher. It seems like it's the song by them I hear the most...

    last month
  • tonnyaranha

    Legal Tender

    last month
  • AlexandreTex

    ROAM <3333333333333

    last month
  • Lukinhas_44

    Good Stuff is one of my favourite ever albums. [2]

    last month
  • mattmacneil

    Man, their debut was so great, but they went to shit so fast.

    last month
  • freta_

    EchotheSun, i totally agree, Song of a future generation and whammy kiss are awesome tracks. i dont see why love shack features in the top. It's not even close to be one of the bests.

    last month
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There's still time...

10 May 2010 | from blog.myspace.com/theb52s

There's still time to get in on the VIP ticket package action for our July and August shows. Packages include a t-shirt designed by Keith, a brushed silver B-52 logo key chain, a commemorative l...

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