The B-52's
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The B-52's
The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), 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, 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, 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 Ric ...
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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.Interview: Fred Schneider of the B-52's
Survivingthegoldenage.com; retrieved on 2012-11-28.


Early life

Frederick William Schneider III was born on July 1, 1951, in , and lived in

Tracy Wormworth
Tracy Ann Wormworth (born December 15, 1958) is an American bass guitarist. Wormworth is a member of the B-52s. She has recorded and toured with the band since the Cosmic Tour of 1990. She played on their sixth studio album, 1992's '' Good Stuff'', and recorded on the band's soundtrack for the 1994 movie "The Flintstones". By 2008, she was listed as an official band member on their album ''Funplex;'' she is featured in the 2011 video recording ''With the Wild Crowd! Live in Athens, GA''. Wormworth's career began as a member of The Waitresses, a New Wave band out of Akron, Ohio. She joined the band after the departure of bassist Dave Hofstra, who played on the Waitresses' first album, ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' (though Wormworth appears in the back cover photo on the album). She remained with the band until it dissolved in 1984. ''Note: Second interview with Wormworth is at the bottom of page'' Wormworth has served as a touring bass player for Sting and Wayne Shorter, Cyn ...
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Sprechgesang
(, "spoken singing") and (, "spoken voice") are expressionist vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, ''Sprechgesang'' is directly related to the operatic ''recitative'' manner of singing (in which pitches are sung, but the articulation is rapid and loose like speech), whereas ''Sprechstimme'' is closer to speech itself (because it does not emphasise any particular pitches). Sprechgesang ''Sprechgesang'' is more closely aligned with the long-used musical techniques of ''recitative'' or ''parlando'' than is ''Sprechstimme''. Where the term is employed in this way, it is usually in the context of the late Romantic German operas or "music dramas" that were composed by Richard Wagner and others in the 19th century. Thus, ''Sprechgesang'' is often merely a German alternative to ''recitative''. ''Sprechstimme'' The earliest compositional use of the technique was in the first version of Engelbert Humperdinck's 1897 melodrama ''Königs ...
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Call And Response (music)
In music, call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually written in different parts of the music, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or in response to the first. This can take form as commentary to a statement, an answer to a question or repetition of a phrase following or slightly overlapping the initial speaker(s). It corresponds to the call and response pattern in human communication and is found as a basic element of musical form, such as verse-chorus form, in many traditions. African music In Sub-Saharan African cultures, call and response is a pervasive pattern of democratic participation—in public gatherings in the discussion of civic affairs, in religious rituals, as well as in vocal and instrumental musical expression. African-American music Enslaved Africans brought call and response music with them to the colonized American continents and it has been transmitted over the centuries in various forms of cultural express ...
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Trash Culture
The term "trash culture" entered into common use in the West from the 1980s to indicate artistic or entertainment expressions considered to be of a low cultural profile but able to stimulate and attract the audiences. It refers to books, movies, TV shows, etc. characterized by poor taste, vulgar themes, and subjects chosen to attract the audience through shoddy, low-quality, and culturally impoverished content. In this sense, trash culture is defined as the validation of the voyeuristic sight of the middle class which approaches the popular culture as style of consumption. The concept of trash culture should not be confused or merged with the concept of "kitsch", even if the two may be related. Kitsch is linked to art in a permanent way, but it is also a social phenomenon which establishes itself as a way of being: in Western society it is characterized by the limitation of the artist's space of creation. Kitsch is essentially multiplication and reachability. It is based on the co ...
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AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual may not notice any symptoms, or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. Typically, this is followed by a prolonged incubation period with no symptoms. If the infection progresses, it interferes more with the immune system, increasing the risk of developing common infections such as tuberculosis, as well as other opportunistic infections, and tumors which are rare in people who have normal immune function. These late symptoms of infection are referred to as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This stage is often also associated with unintended weight loss. HIV is spread primarily by unprotected sex (including anal and vaginal sex), contaminated blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child duri ...
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Sara Lee (musician)
Sara Lee is an English-American bassist and singer-songwriter, who came to prominence replacing Dave Allen on bass guitar in post-punk band Gang of Four, which she was a member of from 1982 to 1984. She was also a member of Robert Fripp's short-lived band The League of Gentlemen and is also notable for work with B-52s, Ani DiFranco and Indigo Girls. As of October 2021, Lee rejoined Gang of Four with founding members Hugo Burnham and Jon King as well as David Pajo, to tour in 2022. Biography Lee confirmed in an interview on Rundgrenradio.com that Sara Lee is her birth name. Born in the West Midlands of England, Lee's entire family was musical. Both parents were music teachers (her father was latterly a bass song man in the choir of York Minster), her sister a cellist, and her brother a trombone player. Music formed an important part of her childhood. She played tympani and double bass in school and local orchestras as a teenager, until the day she discovered the electric bas ...
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Julee Cruise
Julee Ann Cruise (December 1, 1956 – June 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released four albums beginning with 1989's ''Floating into the Night''. Cruise is best known for her 1989 single "Falling"; an instrumental version was used as the theme song for the television series ''Twin Peaks'' in which she appeared in a recurring role as a roadhouse singer. She reprised the role in the 1992 movie '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me'' (which also featured her music), and in the 2017 revival series '' Twin Peaks: The Return''. She was also featured in Lynch and Badalamenti's avant-garde 1990 theater production ''Industrial Symphony No. 1,'' which was filmed and released on home media. Other notable singles included " Rockin' Back Inside My Heart" (1990) and "If I Survive" (1999) by the band Hybrid, which featured her vocals. In th ...
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Zack Alford
Zachary "Zack" Alford is a professional drummer, known for his work with the B-52's, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and Tomoyasu Hotei. Alford was brought in by Danny Kortchmar to drum on Billy Joel's ''River of Dreams'' album. Alford contributed drum loops, acoustic drums, and electronic percussion on Bowie's 1997 albums '' Earthling'' and ''Earthling in the City'' and '' LiveAndWell.com'' (released online November 1999); as well as drums and percussion on Bowie's 2013 albums ''The Next Day'' and '' The Next Day Extra''. Alford also performed live drums at 1,2,3 Soleils in France with Arabic artists in 1998. Alford performed live drums and percussion on three Bowie tours: Outside Tour (September 1995 – February 1996), Outside Summer Festivals Tour (June 1996 – July 1996), and Earthling Tour (June 1997 – November 1997). In 2021, when their touring resumed, Alford joined the Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are a post-punk band founded in London in February 19 ...
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Pat Irwin
Pat Irwin (born May 17, 1955) is an American composer and musician who was a founding member of two bands that grew out of New York City's No Wave scene in the late 1970s, the Raybeats and 8-Eyed Spy. He joined The B-52s from 1989 through 2008. He currently performs and records witSUSSwho have released several records on the indie label Northern Spy. He composed the score for the Showtime series, '' Dexter: New Blood.'' Other television scores include HBO's '' Bored to Death,'' Showtime's ''Nurse Jackie,'' and '' The Good Cop'' on Netflix. He has composed scores for many cartoons including ''Rocko's Modern Life'', ''Pepper Ann'', ''A Little Curious'', and '' Class of 3000''. Independent film credits include ''My New Gun'', '' But I'm A Cheerleader'', and ''Bam Bam and Celeste.'' Biography Pat Irwin graduated from Grinnell College in 1977. He received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for international study and moved to Paris after graduation. In Paris he attended composition work ...
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Paul Gordon (musician)
Paul Christian Gordon (October 19, 1963 – February 18, 2016) was an American musician, composer, and producer. A keyboardist and guitarist, he was a member of New Radicals and the keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for the B-52's from 2007 until his death in 2016. Early life Paul Christian Gordon was born on October 19, 1963, in Everett, Massachusetts, to Rev. Calvin Paul Gordon and Barbara (Landry) Gordon. In 1966, the family relocated to Newport, Rhode Island, where Rev. Gordon pastored the Evangelical Friends Church. Paul Gordon graduated from Rogers High School in 1981. Career Gordon worked with Joseph Williams, TotoNatasha Bedingfield, Goo Goo Dolls, The B-52's, Danielle Brisebois, New Radicals, Prince, Jennifer Nettles, Lisa Marie Presley, Charles & Eddie, The Devlins, Eran DD, Jeffrey Gaines, John Gregory, Nona Hendryx, Carly Hennessy, The Juliet Dagger, Jill Jones, Chaka Khan, Lila McCann, Mandy Moore, Jenni Muldaur, Trine Rein, Wild Orchid and David Yazbek. ...
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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, 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. Wilson's unusual guitar tunings were a large contribution to the band's quirky sound. On October 12, 1985, at the age of 32, Wilson died from complications related to AIDS following the recording of the band's fourth studio album ''Bouncing Off the Satellites''. According to Strickland, the album had been completed and mixed before Wilson's death, with only the cover art not yet designed (an illustration by Kenny Scharf was ultima ...
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