The B-52's Tickets

The B-52’s, (now stylized as The B-52s) are an internationally successful New Wave band also known for their campy fashion. The group’s original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson and Ricky Wilson. Originally, all members of the band played multiple instruments. However, after Ricky Wilson’s tragic AIDS-related death in 1985, instead of hiring a full-time replacement, Strickland transitioned to primarily playing guitar, and the band has used various other musicians for recording and touring purposes.

Before the band formed, friends Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson would sport beehive wigs and crash parties to get free beer. Later, Keith Strickland had a dream of a band featuring three women in bouffants playing organs and someone in the crowd shouted, “That’s The B-52s!” (B-52 is a slang term for a beehive hairdo).

Their self-titled first album The B-52’s was released to critical acclaim in 1979, spawning the Canadian chart-topping hit “Rock Lobster”, which was also successful in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the UK. Rolling Stone magazine later placed the album at #152 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Their second album, Wild Planet, released in 1980, spawned another minor US hit with “Private Idaho”. Whammy! followed in 1983, giving the band a third minor US hit with “Legal Tender”. Their fourth album, Bouncing Off the Satellites, was recorded and mixed but not yet released when Ricky Wilson died in October 1985. It was nearly a year before the album was released, in September 1986. It is the band’s only album that does not feature a picture of its members on the cover.

Ricky’s death devastated the band, especially his sister, Cindy Wilson. They went on a long hiatus and did not release their fifth album Cosmic Thing until 1989. It proved to be their mainstream breakthrough, reaching the top 10 in several countries. Its first single “Channel Z” topped the then-new Billboard Modern Rock chart, and its next three singles “Love Shack”, “Roam” and “Deadbeat Club” were crossover pop hits, all reaching the top 30 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and charting well in several other countries.

Their sixth album Good Stuff came out in 1992, notably lacking Cindy Wilson, who had taken a break from the band to focus on raising a family. She was temporarily replaced by Julee Cruise for the band’s live shows. The album’s title track became the group’s fourth top 40 hit in the US.

Their 1994 remake of “Meet The Flintstones” for the feature film The Flintstones (as ‘The BC-52s’) is their last US top 40 hit. Shortly thereafter, Cindy rejoined the band and they continued to tour internationally, sharing stages with The Go-Go’s, Cher, The Rolling Stones and many other legendary artists.

By 1998, two new songs were recorded that were included on the greatest hits compilation Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation. In addition to its lead single, “Debbie”, a tribute to Debbie Harry of Blondie, the album features 16 previously-released singles and remixes. Editions released outside of the U.S. have alternate track listings.

Their seventh and most recent studio album Funplex came out in 2008, sixteen years after their previous studio effort. As of 2020, the band has continued to tour internationally.