![]() When the now four-person lineup of The B-52s came back together at the end of the 1980s, there was no way of knowing what they would do or if any of their audience remained. Strickland had gradually been moving away from the drums and now became the band’s full-time guitar player and arranger. The band took nearly half a decade to mourn his loss before picking up the pieces. Then, in 1985, Ricky Wilson suddenly died due to complications from AIDS. Together, these five formed the first lineup of The B-52s, releasing four albums over the course of seven years. The group was rounded out with Kate Pierson, a multi-instrumentalist who also happened to be a vocalist with a wide range and a penchant for both poppy melody lines and ridiculous noises. By his side was Wilson’s sister Cindy, whose husky voice sat at the base, and occasionally at the top, of the band’s two-part harmonies. ![]() As the band’s gonzo narrator, Schneider broke the same rules as a frontman as Wilson did as a guitarist. First among equals was Fred Schneider, a former poet who never sang as much as he talked, toasted, screamed, and joked along with the music. Up at the microphones stood three unique individuals. ![]() The wonky sound gave The B-52s a starting point for their unique sound, bolstered by Keith Strickland’s surf-rock drumming style. To accomplish this, he would throw his pawn shop guitars into wild tunings, with his lower strings replicating a bass and the higher strings playing traditional guitar chords. As the band’s guitarist and sole melodic instrument (when Kate Pierson wasn’t playing keyboards), Wilson had to be a one-man orchestra. ![]() At the heart of it all was Ricky Wilson, who was the key to forming the band’s sound. ![]()
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