THE B-52'S

After a drunken night at a Chinese restaurant, Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson and her brother Ricky founded the new wave pop band the B-52's in 1976. The band's name alludes to the beehive hairdo wigs that singers Cindy and Kate were often wearing.

The Athens (U.S.) based band had little or even no experience in playing music and performed their first shows with percussion and guitar recordings on tape. After playing several shows at music club CBGB in New York, the B-52's drew the attention of the New York press.

The B-52's released their self-titled debut album in 1979, followed up by 'Wild Planet' in 1980, which reached the top 20 in the U.S. charts. After releasing 'Mesopotamia' in 1982 and 'Whammy!' in 1983, the five-piece returned to the studio to record 1986's 'Bouncing Off the Satellites'. During the recording of this album, Ricky Wilson died from an AIDS related illness. After his death the other band members found it impossible to promote the album.

1989's 'Cosmic Thing' was the most successful recording till this date, including hit singles 'Love Shack', 'Roam' and 'Deadbeat Club'. After releasing 'Good Stuff' in 1992, the B-52's finally returned with new material in 2008 with the release of 'Funplex'.