THE B52'S

B52'S perform 6060-842- live- circa 1978!

i have the fondest memories seeing the B52's live @ the hong kong cafe in chinatown- 1977. the show, crowd, mood and tone was electric!!!
i saw them later in 1978 @ the roxy on sunset blvd- while waiting in line, i met pony pratt, gilda, syd curry, simon doonan, richard velasco and numerous friends that have become legends and icons in their own lives.

The B52s are a New Wave rock band, formed in Athens, Georgia, United States, in 1976.
In their heyday, their music was marked by the female harmonies of Cindy Wilson (vocals) and Kate Pierson (organ, vocals), Ricky Wilson's (guitar) surf-style guitar, Keith Strickland's (drummer) "go-go beat" drumming, and the generally spoken word or sprechgesang male vocal counterpoint of Fred Schneider (cowbell, vocals).

The resulting unique "guy vs. gals" vocals, sometimes used in call and response style are a trademark of the band.

The band's name comes from a particular beehive hairdo resembling the nose cone of the aircraft of the same name. During their early years, wigs of that style were often worn by the band's female singers Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson.

B52's- dance this mess around- circa- 1982!


the B52's in rio de janeiro- circa 1985.


katie pierson talks about the loss of ricky wilson and the darkest days of AIDS.

people forget what a stigma it was to has AIDS in those days. On October 12, 1985 Ricky Wilson died at age 32 of what was originally reported as cancer but was later revealed to be AIDS-related. Devastated, the band went into immediate seclusion and the album sank without any tour or promotion behind it.