1976–1979: Formation and early years They formed as "the B-52's" in 1976 when Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson (her elder brother), Pierson, Strickland, and Schneider held an impromptu
jam session after sharing a
flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia. When they first jammed, Strickland played guitar, and Ricky Wilson played congas. They later played their first concert (with Wilson on guitar) in 1977, on North Milledge Avenue in Athens, at a
Valentine's Day party for their friends. The venue is now a private residence. Other names the band considered were the Tina-Trons and Fellini's Children. Strickland suggested the name after a dream he had of a band performing in a hotel lounge. In the dream, he heard someone whisper in his ear that the band's name was "the B-52's". The band's quirky take on the new wave sound of its era was a combination of
dance and
surf music set apart from their contemporaries by
thrift-store chic and the unusual guitar tunings Ricky Wilson used. The band's first single, "
Rock Lobster", recorded for
DB Records in 1978, was an underground success, selling over 2,000 copies, which led to gigs at
CBGB and
Max's Kansas City in New York City. Both this version of "Rock Lobster" and its B-side, "52 Girls", are different recordings from those that appear on the band's 1979 debut album, and the early version of "52 Girls" is in a different key. The re-recorded version of "Rock Lobster" was also released as a single, and in the UK and Germany, it was backed with an instrumental version of "Running Around", a non-album track at the time. (A vocal re-recording of this appears on the band's second album, 1980's
Wild Planet.) The buzz the record created in the UK meant their first show in London at the
Electric Ballroom was packed and attended by UK pop stars, including
Sandie Shaw,
Green Gartside from
Scritti Politti, and
Joe Jackson. In Canada, released on the
Warner Bros. label, the single went from cult hit to No. 1 on the
RPM-compiled national chart on May 24, 1980.
John Lennon credited the song with inspiring his return to writing music.
1979–1982: ''The B-52's, Wild Planet, and Mesopotamia'' In 1979, the B-52's signed contracts as they flew over to
Compass Point Studios in
Nassau, Bahamas, to record their debut
studio album, with
Island Records founder
Chris Blackwell producing. The band was surprised by Blackwell's recording methods; he wanted to keep the sound as close as possible to its live sound, so he used almost no
overdubs or additional effects. Released on July 6, 1979, ''
The B-52's contained re-recorded versions of "Rock Lobster" and "52 Girls", six originals recorded solely for the album, and a cover of the Petula Clark hit "Downtown". The album was a major success, especially in Australia, where it reached No. 3 on the charts alongside its three singles: "Planet Claire", "Rock Lobster", and "Dance This Mess Around". In the U.S., the single "Rock Lobster" reached the Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, while the album was certified
platinum by the
RIAA. In 1980,
John Lennon called the B-52's his favorite band and specifically cited "Rock Lobster" as an inspiration for his album
Double Fantasy (1980). In April 1980, the B-52's returned to Compass Point Studios to record their next album. Several of the songs on the new album had been concert staples since 1978; the band did not record them for their first album, as they had more songs than could fit in a quality
LP record. and was certified gold; "
Private Idaho" became the band's second Hot 100 entry. The B-52's performed on
Saturday Night Live on January 26, 1980, and at the
Heatwave festival (promoted as the "New Wave Woodstock") near Toronto, Canada, in August 1980. The band also appeared in the
Paul Simon film
One Trick Pony. In July 1981,
Party Mix! was released, a six-song collection containing songs from the first two albums remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side. In 1981, the band collaborated with
Talking Heads'
David Byrne to produce a third full-length studio album. Reportedly due to differences with Byrne over the album's musical direction, recording sessions for the album were aborted, prompting the band to release
Mesopotamia in 1982 as an
EP. (In 1991,
Party Mix! and
Mesopotamia, the latter of which had been remixed, were combined and released together on a single
compact disc.) Also in 1982, the band appeared at the inaugural
US Festival, performing on the first day.
1982–1987: Whammy!, Bouncing off the Satellites, and death of Ricky Wilson In December 1982, the band began recording their third album,
Whammy! According to Pierson, Strickland no longer wanted to play the drums, so the band switched to
drum machines for this album, with Strickland and Ricky Wilson playing all the music on the album, and the rest of the band providing vocals only. Having originally played guitars, organ, bass guitar and synthesizers, Pierson switched to a mainly vocal role in the studio, but remained behind the keyboards on tour. The band also began experimenting heavily with
synthesizers during this period. Released on April 27, 1983,
Whammy! reached No. 29 on the
Billboard 200 chart. "
Legal Tender" reached the
Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as the
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Singles chart alongside "
Whammy Kiss" and "
Song for a Future Generation". being removed from the album and replaced by "Moon 83"—a rearranged version of "There's a Moon in the Sky (Called the Moon)" from their debut album—on future pressings of
Whammy! though none of the other band members were aware of his illness except for Strickland, as Wilson "did not want anyone to worry about him or fuss about him." Wilson died from his illness on October 12, 1985, at the age of 32. A music video was made for "
Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland" and the band appeared on some UK television programs but then took a two-year hiatus. Keith Strickland moved to
Woodstock, New York, while Pierson and Schneider stayed in New York City. In 1987, the band released a
public service announcement in the style of
the Beatles' ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' album cover on behalf of
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.
1988–1992: Comeback, Cosmic Thing, and Good Stuff Strickland had been composing in 1988. After he played some of his new music for the other band members, they all agreed to try writing together again, with Pierson, Wilson and Schneider contributing lyrics and melodies. In 1989, the band released
Cosmic Thing, their mainstream breakthrough, on
Reprise Records worldwide. The single "
Channel Z" from the new album became an alternative and college radio hit, hitting No. 1 on the U.S.
Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, receiving significant airplay on
MTV's modern rock show
120 Minutes. They then embarked on the
Cosmic Tour. during the
Cosmic Thing tour, 1989 The next single, "
Love Shack", with its party vibe and colorful
music video, became their first top 40 hit on the
Billboard Hot 100, ultimately reaching No. 3 in November 1989. That peak was matched in March 1990 when their follow-up single, "
Roam", also reached No. 3. In Australia, the country that had most embraced the band a decade earlier, "Love Shack" remained at No. 1 for eight weeks. A fourth single, "
Deadbeat Club", which reminisced about the band's early days in Athens and whose video was shot on location and featured a cameo by fellow Athens artist
R.E.M.'s
Michael Stipe, reached No. 30.
Cosmic Thing climbed into the U.S. top five and earned multi-platinum certification. The album also had international success, reaching No. 1 in both Australia and New Zealand and No. 8 in the UK. The group had a successful world tour to support the record and appeared on the cover of
Rolling Stone in March 1990. In 1990, the B-52's were nominated for four
MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year. They won two awards: Best Group Video and Best Art Direction. Pierson sang on
Iggy Pop's song "
Candy", which gave him a top 40 hit. In 1991, Schneider's 1984 solo record,
Fred Schneider and the Shake Society, was repackaged and re-released, resulting in his first Hot 100 single when "Monster" climbed to No. 85. Also that year, Pierson again guest-starred on a popular track, R.E.M.'s "
Shiny Happy People", which reached No. 10 in September. Pierson also appeared on two other songs from R.E.M.'s chart-topping album
Out of Time: "Near Wild Heaven" and "Me in Honey", as well as the outtake "Fretless". In late 1990,
Cindy Wilson took time off from the band, with
Julee Cruise filling in for her on tour. The B-52's released
Good Stuff in 1992 as a trio—the only album release on which Cindy Wilson was not present—and the title track reached No. 28 that August. The album made it to No. 16 in the U.S. It is also the group's most overtly political album, though they had been activists and fundraisers for environmental, AIDS and animal rights causes for many years.
1993–2007: Soundtrack appearances, 25th anniversary and touring The band had their next chart entry in 1994 when, as ''the BC-52's
, they appeared in The Flintstones live-action movie and sang the title song. When released as a single, it reached No. 33 in the U.S. and No. 3 in the UK. In 1994, Pierson and Schneider also sang on the theme song for the Nickelodeon series Rocko's Modern Life from the second season onward. In the 1990s, former Duran Duran drummer Sterling Campbell joined the band, but left in 2000 to tour with David Bowie and was replaced that year by Zack Alford, who had recorded and toured with the band during the Cosmic Thing'' era. Pierson and Cindy Wilson recorded a cover of the
McFadden & Whitehead song "
Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" for the 1996 film
The Associate, starring
Whoopi Goldberg. Wilson rejoined the B-52's the same year. A career retrospective,
Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation, appeared in 1998, along with two remixed maxi-singles: "Summer of Love '98" and "Hallucinating Pluto". A major tour (with co-headliners
the Pretenders) to promote the collection took place. "
Debbie", another single from the album (a tribute to
Blondie's
Debbie Harry), placed No. 35 on
Billboards Hot Modern Rock Tracks. In 1999, they recorded a parody of "Love Shack" called "Glove Slap" for
an episode of
The Simpsons. In 2000, they co-headlined another major tour with
the Go-Go's and recorded the song "The Chosen One" for the movie
Pokémon: The Movie 2000. In 2002, a more extensive anthology, ''
Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology'', was released, and in February of that year the band held a series of concerts celebrating their 25th anniversary. The
Irving Plaza show in
New York City featured Yoko Ono, as well as
Tina Weymouth and
Chris Frantz of
Talking Heads, as guests, with
Chicks on Speed as the opener. Coinciding with the band's 25th anniversary was the publication of ''The B-52's Universe: The Essential Guide to the World's Greatest Party Band'', the first and only officially authorized biography of the band. The book was nominated for a Lambda Lit Award and was a Minnesota Book Awards finalist. The B-52's recorded the song "Orange You Glad it's Summer" for a
Target commercial that aired in spring/summer 2002. Target also used the
Cosmic Thing song "Junebug" in a TV spot five years later. In late 2002, the critically panned cartoon pilot "
The Groovenians" featured a theme song performed by the band. In late 2004, the band opened for
Cher on a few dates of her
Farewell Tour. In March 2006, they opened for
the Rolling Stones at a benefit for the
Robin Hood Foundation. They had three remix EPs released by the Planet Clique record label:
Whammy! in 2005,
Mesopotamia in 2006, and
Wild Planet in 2007. During this time span, they appeared on many television shows, including
The L Word,
V.I.P., ''
The Rosie O'Donnell Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Late Show with David Letterman, The Arsenio Hall Show, Saturday Night Live, Live with Regis and Kelly, The Today Show, Good Morning America'', as well as numerous times on
VH1.
2008–2021: Funplex and continued touring Prior to 2008, the band used an apostrophe in their name, rendering it as "the B-52's". In 2008, the band dropped the apostrophe to become "the B-52s". Asked about the change, Pierson said, "It was not grammatically correct. It's not like a possessive. It just seemed superfluous." Talking about the record's sound, Strickland noted, "It's loud, sexy
rock and roll with the beat turned up to hot pink." The album was produced by
Steve Osborne, who was asked to work on the album based on his work with
New Order on the album
Get Ready (2001). The album debuted at No. 11 on the
Billboard charts in the U.S., immediately making it the second-highest charting B-52s album ever. The band toured in support of the album and made appearances on talk shows, including
The Tonight Show and
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and performed on
The Today Show on Memorial Day 2008. They also participated in the
True Colors Tour 2008 with
Cyndi Lauper and embarked on a European tour in July. The first single from the album was "
Funplex", which was released digitally on January 29, 2008, to the
iTunes Store in the U.S. The second single lifted from the album was "
Juliet of the Spirits". Schneider said in an interview that the album just broke even and could be the B-52s' last new studio album, though he later retracted that statement. The B-52s performed their hit track "
Love Shack" with
Sugarland at the 2009
CMT Music Awards. On February 18, 2011, the B-52s played a show at the
Classic Center in their hometown of
Athens, Georgia, four days after the 34th anniversary of their first-ever show on February 14, 1977. The concert was filmed and recorded for
With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA, released in October 2011. The group continued to perform live, with a touring band that featured musicians
Sterling Campbell (drums),
Paul Gordon (keyboards, guitar) and
Tracy Wormworth (bass), and performances included the closing show for the 2011 edition of the
Montreal Jazz Festival, as well as being the house band during the 2012
TV Land Awards. At the end of 2012, Strickland announced he would no longer tour with the B-52s, though he would continue as a member of the band. Without Strickland, the B-52s continued to tour across the world with groups including
the Go-Go's,
Tears for Fears,
the English Beat,
the Psychedelic Furs,
Simple Minds,
Culture Club, and
Tom Bailey. Aside from touring, the group covered the
Squidbillies theme song during Season 10 of the
Adult Swim series and appeared as guests in the sketch comedy show
Portlandia. In 2019, the group announced a tour to begin in May in the United States, which took them to Europe and back to the U.S. On September 30, 2019, it was reported that the band would be featured in the upcoming
Archie Comics' comic book
Archie Meets the B-52s, released in February 2020.
2022–present: Tour and Vegas residency In April 2022, the group announced that they would embark on a final
farewell tour, with
KC and the Sunshine Band and
DJ Cummerbund, lasting from August 22 to November 11, 2022. The final dates of the concert were postponed until January 2023, due to illness. The B-52s performed the final concert on their tour at the
Classic Center in their hometown of Athens, Georgia, on January 10, 2023. Following the end of the farewell tour, the B-52s embarked on residencies at
The Venetian Las Vegas in
Paradise, Nevada, with DJ Cummerbund again joining as an opener. The first residency concerts took place in May, August and September 2023, with further dates scheduled for April 2024. On May 15, 2024, the City of
Athens, Georgia, announced that their
Federal Prospects Hockey League team would be named the
Rock Lobsters, honoring the band and their song. The decision came after an online poll where the Rock Lobsters won by a wide margin. The band responded on social media, stating "we are truly honored to have our hometown hockey team named the Rock Lobsters. As the song declares, 'Let's rock! The B-52s performed "Love Shack" at
SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (2025) celebrating the 50th anniversary of the
Saturday Night Live television show. They were joined on-stage by
Bowen Yang and
Sarah Sherman, and featured
Fred Armisen on drums. The B-52s toured with
Devo on their North American "Cosmic De-Evolution" tour in 2025, with
Lene Lovich as the opening act. The tour will reach London and Manchester in June 2026 with guests Lovich and
the Rezillos. ==Awards and nominations==