"Message in the Music Message in the Music is a 1976 album by American R&B group The O'Jays, Released in 1976 on the Philadelphia International Records label. Recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, with six of the eight tracks written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, ""Message in the Music"" spawned two R&B chart-topping singles in ""Message in Our Music"" and ""Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)"", with the latter also giving the group their fourth UK top 30 single. ""Message in the Music"" peaked at #3 on the R&B chart (ending a run of three"
"manager. In late 1976, Strickland and Wilson returned to Athens in search of further employment. The two joined the B-52's when they, Wilson's sister Cindy, and Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider of local protest band The Sun-Donuts, formed the group in an impromptu musical practice session after sharing a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant. They played their first concert in 1977 at a Valentine's Day party for friends. The band's quirky take on the new wave sound of their era was a combination of dance and surf music set apart by the unusual guitar tunings used by"
"Herbert, an art school professor. Herbert went on to direct music videos for a number of Athens bands, including 14 for R.E.M. The B-52's and R.E.M. became by far the most famous musical products of Athens in the 1980s, when both bands launched a string of hits. Their roots in the city's local scene go back to the 1970s and early 1980s. The B-52's formed after a St. Valentine's Day party in 1977. The members had little musical knowledge, but performed new wave music with a cheeky and humorous image and sound. They were known for their campy thrift store"
"college, he held down jobs as a janitor as well as a Meals on Wheels driver. At the time The B-52's formed, he had very little musical experience. The B-52's got their start in 1976 when founders Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, and Schneider played an impromptu number after drinking at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia. The band played their first real gig in 1977 at a Valentine's Day party for their friends. The band's first single was ""Rock Lobster"" which was recorded for DB Records in 1978. It was an underground success, and sold over"
"Planet""). In 1982, the B-52's returned to touring. Having been on the road for much of 1978, 1979 and 1980, the band had taken a break in 1981 and were struggling to create new material. With ""Mesopotamia"", they had new material to showcase live. The dynamic of the live show changed slightly from previous tours. In 1981, the band released the remix album ""Party Mix!"", and on the so-called ""MesoAmerica"" 1982 tour they used the opportunity to perform updated versions of some of the songs in their live set that they had been performing since 1977. Another change in 1982"
"vs. gals"" vocals of Schneider, Pierson, and Wilson, sometimes used in call and response style, and their unique guitar and keyboard driven instrumentation compose their trademark sound. The band has had a long string of popular and cult hits including ""Rock Lobster"", ""Planet Claire"", ""Private Idaho"", ""Legal Tender"", ""Love Shack"", and ""Roam"". The B-52's were formed in 1976 when vocalist Cindy Wilson, her older brother and guitarist Ricky, keyboardist and vocalist Kate Pierson, original drummer and percussionist Keith Strickland and cowbell player, poet and lead vocalist Fred Schneider held an impromptu jam session after sharing a tropical Flaming volcano drink"
"""Double Fantasy"". In April 1980, The B-52's returned to Compass Point Studios to record their follow-up album. Several of the songs for the new album had been concert staples since 1978; the band consciously did not record them for their first album since they already had too many tracks and they wanted a strong second album, knowing that their live performances would make fans look forward to it. Rhett Davies co-produced the album, with more emphasis put on slick production; the album has a slightly more psychedelic and even paranoid sound than that of their debut. Released on August 27,"
"B 52’s, Patti Smith & The Gang Of 4. Product Perfect (1979) on IRS Records. Fashion [1] from 1978 – 1980. Luke Skyscraper, the original singer left after an American tour and was replaced by Tony Dial on vocals and guitar and released the “Alien Tapes” on Fashion Music. Produced by Bob Lamb (UB40) Fashion [2] from 1980 – 1981. De Harris and Marlon Recci joined to form the most successful version of the band. De on lead vocals and guitar, with Marlon on bass. Releasing the singles: Move On, Streetplayer, Love Shadow with Gina X and White Stuff. All"
"B-52's in 1987 to produce a ""public service announcement"" for the Art Against AIDS organization's ""Summer of Love"" project, which visually referenced the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles in tableau vivant form, featured the B-52s, Willi Ninja, Allen Ginsberg, Nam Jun Paik, Quentin Crisp, Lady Bunny and David Byrne, and others. In 1989, Rubnitz released the song and video ""Love Is the Message"" under his own name. The song sampled Danny Krivit's edit of MFSB's instrumental ""Love Is the Message."" Rubnitz lived in Manhattan. He died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of an"
"for the B-52's; Byrne and the band added plenty of additional instruments, vocal overdubs, horns, synthesizers, layered percussion and an altogether richer sound. A larger emphasis was placed on production after the raw sound of their debut album ""The B-52's"" and the slightly more polished sound of their second album, ""Wild Planet"". ""Mesopotamia"" was initially conceived by the B-52's in October 1981, following the release of their previous remix album, ""Party Mix!"" The band's first two albums were largely made up of songs which they had been performing live for a number of years. Thus, ""Mesopotamia"" required a new writing"
"2,000 copies in total. In 1979, The B-52's signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records for South America, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. They also signed with Island Records for the UK, Asia, and Europe. After the death of Ricky Wilson in 1985, the band went on hiatus. They reformed in 1989, and went on to mainstream success. Aside from duties as the frontman of The B-52's, Fred Schneider has released two solo albums. He also worked on a side project called The Superions. The group released a self-titled EP and the album ""Destination... Christmas!"" in 2010, and"
"B-52's initially conceived ""Whammy!"" in early 1982, during a visit to Compass Point Studios, where the band commenced re-recordings of three songs (""Butterbean"", ""Big Bird"", and ""Queen of Las Vegas""); all three tracks were originally intended to be included on their previous album ""Mesopotamia""; however, none of them were completed due to pressure and time constraints from Warner Bros. and their manager Gary Kurfirst. The album's remaining six songs (""Legal Tender"", ""Whammy Kiss"", ""Song for a Future Generation"", ""Trism"", ""Don't Worry"", and ""Work That Skirt"") were recorded in December 1982, again at Compass Point Studios. Unlike their previous albums, all"
"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 playing guitar) in 1977 at a Valentine's Day party for their friends. The name B-52's comes from a particular beehive hairdo resembling the nose cone of the aircraft, which Pierson and Cindy Wilson wore in performances throughout the band's first decade. Other names the band considered were the ""Tina-Trons"" and ""Fellini's Children."" Strickland suggested the name after a dream he had had one night, of a band performing in a hotel lounge. In"
"the dream he heard someone whisper in his ear that the name of the band was ""the B-52s."" The band's quirky take on the new wave sound of their era was a combination of dance and surf music set apart from their contemporaries by the unusual guitar tunings used by Ricky Wilson and thrift-store chic. Their first single, ""Rock Lobster,"" recorded for DB Records in 1978, was an underground success, selling over 2,000 copies in total, that led to the B-52's performing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City in New York City. Both this version of ""Rock Lobster"" and its"
"in the US and throughout the world. The band The B-52's formed after the members shared a Flaming Volcano at a Chinese Restaurant in Athens GA, in early November 1976. Due to a lack of funds, the band had decided to share a cocktail rather than order any food. This is mentioned in the book ""The B-52's Universe"" by Mats Sexton. One version of the flaming volcano is prepared by blending the ingredients with ice as described in the box above. It is also served over ice. The base liquor is usually some form of rum, with brandy commonly added,"
"Cindy Wilson Cynthia Leigh Wilson (born February 28, 1957) is an American singer, and is one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52s. The B-52's were formed when Wilson (who was born in Athens, Georgia), older brother and guitarist Ricky Wilson, keyboardist and backing vocalist Kate Pierson, drummer and percussionist Keith Strickland, and lead vocalist Fred Schneider played an impromptu musical jam session after sharing a tropical Flaming Volcano drink at a local Chinese restaurant. They later played their first concert in 1977 at a Valentine's Day party for their friends. Wilson and"
"B-52's, the English Beat, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Toots & the Maytals, Peter Tosh, and Aretha Franklin. The Midnites' set occurred after midnight of November 26, in the early hours of November 27. They played songs such as ""Man Smart, Woman Smarter"", ""Heaven Help The Fool"", ""Thunder and Lighting"", and ""Book of Rules"". Billy Cobham was given an introduction by the festival MC, and took an extended drum solo leading into ""Josephine"". In March 1983, the band had its final change of personnel, when Kenny Gradney, formerly of Little Feat, replaced Johnson on bass. The band continued touring,"
"work with us whenever he wants. He’s a best friend."" Keith Strickland Keith Julian Strickland (born October 26, 1953) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer, and one of the founding members of The B-52s. He was born in Athens, Georgia. Originally the band's drummer, Strickland switched to guitar after the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985. Strickland also plays keyboards and bass guitar on many of The B-52s recordings, and has occasionally provided backing vocals. Strickland composes the music for The B-52s. He said of the process: ""Ricky and I used to write the music together, but now I"
"than 4 million copies worldwide, and ""Stand"" became their first US hit single. In 1989, after an extended period of inactivity following the death of guitarist and main writer Ricky Wilson, the B-52s shot back to prominence with the album ""Cosmic Thing"". It was a Top 5 hit in the US (#4) and the UK (#2) and went to #1 in Australia, where the group had enjoyed a strong following since their debut single ""Rock Lobster""; they also scored three consecutive hit singles with ""Love Shack"" (#3 US, #1 Australia), ""Roam"" (US #3) and ""Deadbeat Club"" (US #30). Warner Bros.'"
"After retiring from working together, Gill and King reunited to record ""Mall"" in 1991, and finally ""Shrinkwrapped"" in 1995. Lee later joined the B-52's to be replaced by Gail Ann Dorsey, later famous for her longtime association with David Bowie. The original lineup of Jon King, Andy Gill, Dave Allen and Hugo Burnham reformed in November 2004. A UK tour in January 2005, shows in Europe and Japan and tours of the United States in May/June and again in September. In October 2005, Gang of Four released a new disc featuring new recordings of songs from the albums ""Entertainment!"", ""Solid"
"The B-52s ""Private Idaho"". The EP was released as part of the contract buyout by Enigma/Restless. Deslaurier left in 1992 and was replaced by Peter Arsenault, formerly of the band Jellyfishbabies. Manager James MacLean arranged a buy out the band's existing recording contract with the US label Restless/Enigma records and the band signed with A&M Records. They then recruited Daniel Rey and Dave Ogilvie to produce their major label debut, ""Crush,"" which was released in August 1993. ""Shine"" was that album's lead single and became the band's biggest Top 40 hit. Shine won a CASBY for best single in 1994."
"Party Mix! Party Mix! is a 1981 remix album by The B-52's, released in between their second album ""Wild Planet"" and the ""Mesopotamia"" EP. On the original vinyl, this six-song collection contained songs from their first two albums remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side. On the CD version, however, all the songs feature their own tracks. In the US, ""Party Mix!"" and a 1990 remix version of ""Mesopotamia"" were combined onto one CD, released in 1991. In Europe, both albums were made available on separate CDs, with ""Mesopotamia"" retaining the original US mix. However,"
"Ricky Wilson (American musician) Ricky Helton Wilson (March 19, 1953 – October 12, 1985) was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the B-52's. Born in Athens, Georgia, Wilson was the brother of fellow member Cindy Wilson. The B-52's were founded in 1976, when Ricky, his sister Cindy, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland and Fred Schneider shared a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant and, after an impromptu music session at the home of their friend, Owen Scott III, played for the first time at a Valentine's Day party for friends."
"Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter, arranger, and musician, best known as the frontman of the rock band The B-52's, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his ""sprechgesang"", which he developed from reciting poetry over guitars. Frederick William Schneider III was born on July 1, 1951, in Newark, New Jersey. He has stated that his musical influences included ""Halloween songs and nutty Christmas songs"" along with ""Motown"". He attended the University of Georgia, where he wrote a book of poetry for a class project. After"
"Show"", ""Good Morning America"" and numerous times on VH1. In 2008, the band dropped the apostrophe from their name to become ""The B-52s"". ""Funplex"", the band's first original album in 16 years (since 1992's ""Good Stuff""), was released on March 25, 2008, by Astralwerks. 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 is produced by Steve Osborne, who was asked to work on the album based on his work with New Order on the album ""Get Ready"". The album debuted at No. 11 on the"
"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 DVD and Blu-ray"
"spent 27 weeks on the U.S. ""Billboard"" album charts and reached its peak position of #18 in late September 1980. Wild Planet Wild Planet is the second studio album by the B-52's, released in 1980. As with their first album, the B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record ""Wild Planet"". Several of the songs from the album had been concert staples since 1978. The band deliberately did not record them for their first album because they had too many tracks and wanted a strong second album, knowing that performing the tracks live would make fans look"
"Cemetery in Athens. Devastated, the band did little promotional work and did not tour to promote the album. Upon reforming in 1988, the band continued as a four-piece, with Strickland replicating Wilson's riffs from their earlier material in live performances. Ricky Wilson (American musician) Ricky Helton Wilson (March 19, 1953 – October 12, 1985) was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band the B-52's. Born in Athens, Georgia, Wilson was the brother of fellow member Cindy Wilson. The B-52's were founded in 1976, when Ricky, his sister Cindy, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland"
"""Party Mix!"" is no longer in print in Europe. Party Mix! Party Mix! is a 1981 remix album by The B-52's, released in between their second album ""Wild Planet"" and the ""Mesopotamia"" EP. On the original vinyl, this six-song collection contained songs from their first two albums remixed and sequenced to form two long tracks, one on each side. On the CD version, however, all the songs feature their own tracks. In the US, ""Party Mix!"" and a 1990 remix version of ""Mesopotamia"" were combined onto one CD, released in 1991. In Europe, both albums were made available on separate"
"Bouncing Off the Satellites Bouncing off the Satellites is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on September 8, 1986. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Founding member and guitarist Ricky Wilson died of AIDS after the album was completed, but several months prior to the album's release. With the band too distraught to tour, the album received minimal promotion and failed to yield any hit singles despite some radio stations initially giving a considerable amount of airplay to ""Summer of Love,"" which managed to peak at No. 3"
"Whammy! Whammy! is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December 1982 and was produced by Steven Stanley. The record was refined and mastered at Sterling Sound, New York City. It was released on April 27, 1983 in the United States, with Warner Bros. Records as the primary label. Sales for ""Whammy!"" were generally weaker than their previous album, but overall successful, spawning the popular singles ""Legal Tender,"" ""Whammy Kiss,"" and ""Song for a Future Generation."" The album entered the ""Billboard"" 200 twice in 1983,"
"broken up in early 1980.) Union released one album, titled ""On Strike"". Bachman joined The Guess Who reunion in 1983 with Burton Cummings and other members of the ""American Woman"" era. They did a tour of Canada and released a live video performance of it. After The Guess Who reunion ended, Bachman rejoined a new BTO reunion, consisting also of Fred Turner, Tim Bachman, and Garry Peterson of The Guess Who on drums. Robbie Bachman and classic line-up guitarist Blair Thornton chose not to join the reunion. This version of the band put out a studio album in 1984 and"
"the others broke into the music world when their 1979 debut album ""The B-52's"" yielded the charting singles ""Rock Lobster"" and ""Planet Claire"" and launched the band into stardom. On April 21, 1985, Wilson married Keith Bennett, a successful advertiser who was a longtime friend of the band and Ricky's guitar tech on tour. Ricky died later that year, leaving her devastated. Wilson took a sabbatical from the band in 1990 to concentrate on raising a family, during which time the B-52's recorded and released the album ""Good Stuff"" as a trio of Pierson, Schneider and Strickland. During the live"