The B-52s (styled as The B-52's prior to 2008) are an American new wave band, formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original line-up consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards), Cindy Wilson (vocals, percussion), Ricky Wilson (lead guitar), and Keith Strickland (drums, rhythm guitar, keyboards). After Ricky Wilson's death from AIDS-related illness in 1985, Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. The band also added touring members for albums and live performances.

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 founder Chris Blackwell producing. The band was surprised by Blackwell's recording methods; he wanted to keep the sound as close as possible to their actual live sound so 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 single "Downtown". The album was a major success, especially in Australia where it reached number three on the charts alongside its three singles "Planet Claire," "Rock Lobster," and "Dance This Mess Around." In the United States, the single "Rock Lobster" reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart, while the album itself 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 comeback with Double Fantasy.  In April 1980, as with their first album, The B-52's traveled to Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas to record the follow-up. Several of the songs from the album had been concert staples since 1978; the band consciously 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 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, 1980, Wild Planet was well received by critics, most of whom regarded it as a strong second album following the success of their first; many fans consider it their best album. The album reached number eighteen on the Billboard 200 chart in 1980 and was certified gold; "Private Idaho" became their second Hot 100 entry. On January 26, 1980, The B-52's performed on Saturday Night Live; they also performed at the Heatwave festival (billed as the "New Wave Woodstock") in Toronto, Canada in August 1980, and appeared in the Paul Simon film One Trick Pony. In July 1981, Party Mix! was released, a six-song collection containing songs from their 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. Due to alleged conflicts 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. It was also in 1982 that the band appeared at the inaugural US Festival. They performed on the first day of the festival alongside Talking Heads, Oingo Boingo, and The Police.

Ask a question about this article.
What happened in 1979?