The B-52's is an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976.[8] The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion, occasional keyboard), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, percussion), Ricky Wilson (guitar), and Keith Strickland (drums, guitar, keyboards). Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985,[9] and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band also added various members for albums and live performances.
The group evoked a "thrift shop aesthetic", in Bernard Gendron's words,[7] by drawing from 1950s and 1960s pop sources, trash culture, and rock and roll. Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson sometimes use call-and-response-style vocals (Schneider's often humorous sprechgesang contrasting with Wilson's and Pierson's melodic harmonies), and their guitar- and keyboard-driven instrumentation is their trademark sound, which was also set apart from their contemporaries by the unusual guitar tunings Ricky Wilson used on their earlier albums. The band has had many hits, including "Rock Lobster", "Planet Claire", "Party Out of Bounds", "Private Idaho", "Whammy Kiss", "Summer of Love", "Wig", "Love Shack", "Roam" and "(Meet) The Flintstones". They have been nominated for Grammy awards three times: in 1989, 1990 for 'Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal' and in 1992 for 'Best Alternative Music Album'.
In April 2022, the group announced they were retiring from touring.[10] A 2023 Las Vegas residency was announced in November of 2022.
They first played on SNL in 1980, performing their signature hit "Rock Lobster" and "Dance This Mess Around" with their original lineup. Frontman Fred Schneider played a cowbell for "Rock Lobster" and a handheld keyboard for "Dance This Mess Around", the latter song, Cindy Wilson took the lead vocals. By 1990 when they played SNL again, much had changed due to Ricky Wilson's death. Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. They supplemented the core band with Pat Irwin(guitar, keyboard), Sara Lee(bass) and Zack Alford(drums), all three of which were included in the band's photo for the show. They performed "Cosmic Thing" and "Channel Z". Irwin played guitar on "Cosmic Thing" and keyboard on "Channel Z".