The B-52's: Ricky & Cindy Wilson

Display Location: 2nd Floor, Walter J. Brown Media Archives Gallery
Display Dates: March - July 2023

Overview

Native Athenians Ricky and Cindy Wilson were founding members of the band The B-52's. Taking inspiration from New York City’s underground queer culture, introduced to Athens by former Andy Warhol Factory superstar Jeremy “Jerry” Ayers, the siblings and longtime friend Keith Strickland began hanging out with New Jersey transplants Fred Schnieder and Kate Pierson. Dressing in elaborate 1950s and 1960s fashions scrounged on the cheap from the local Potter’s House thrift store, the gang of friends referred to themselves as “freaks” doing everything they could to agitate the hippies and “straight” people who dominated the town’s cultural landscape in the mid-1970s. After a spontaneous jam session at a friend’s house in October 1976, the group played their first official show at a Valentine’s Day house party on Milledge avenue in 1977.  

The B-52's star rose quickly. After releasing their first single in 1978 on Atlanta’s DB records they began booking shows at legendary New York City venues CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. In 1979, the band signed with Island Records and released the first in a string of groundbreaking albums. In 1985 while working on their fourth album, Ricky passed away suddenly due to complications from AIDS. The loss hit the band hard and led to an extended hiatus from touring and recording. In 1988, the band reconvened and their album “Cosmic Thing” propelled them from underground sensations to superstars on the strength of hit singles “Love Shack,” “Roam” and “Deadbeat Club.” 

The band played the final show of their farewell tour in Athens, Georgia on January 10, 2023.