Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of

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, p ...

. She plays

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside

Cindy Wilson Cynthia Leigh Wilson (born February 28, 1957) is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of new wave rock band the B-52's. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays percussion during ...

, Fred Schneider, Ricky Wilson, and

Keith Strickland Julian Keith Strickland (born October 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and one of the founding members of The B-52s. He was born in Athens, Georgia. Originally the band's drummer, Stricklan ...

. In the early years, as well as being a vocalist, Pierson was the main keyboard player and performed on a

keyboard bass Keyboard bass (shortened to keybass and sometimes referred as a synth-bass) is the use of a smaller, low-pitched keyboard with fewer notes than a regular keyboard or pedal keyboard to substitute for the deep notes of a bass guitar or double bass ...

during live shows and on many of the band's recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

player, which differentiated the band from their contemporaries. This, along with Pierson's distinctive wide-ranging singing voice, remains a trademark of the B-52's' unique sound. Pierson has also collaborated with many other artists including

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

and

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

Pierson possesses a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...

. In February 2015, Pierson released her first solo album, '' Guitars and Microphones'', featuring material co-written by

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

. She later released the non-album single "Better Not Sting the Bee", and on April 15, 2016, she released a cover of "

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

" as a single.

Early life and education

Pierson was born in

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a Township (New Jersey), township in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located largely on the Hudson Palisades overlooking the North River ...

, and raised in Rutherford. Pierson briefly attended Wheaton College in

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a suburban city in Milton and Winfield Townships and is the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois. It is located approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,894, which was estimated ...

before transferring to

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

, where she earned a journalism degree. She then traveled around Europe for a time in the 1970's, including six months working as a

barmaid A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...

in ''The Anson'' pub in

Wallsend Wallsend is a town in North Tyneside, England, at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 43,842 and lies east of Newcastle upon Tyne. History Roman Wallsend In Roman times, this was the site of the fort of Segedunum. This fo ...

, UK before returning to the U.S. and moving to

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, where she lived on a farm and earned a living as a paste-up artist in the type shop of the local newspaper.

Music career

Pierson met up with the other members of what would become the B-52s while living in Athens, Georgia. The band formed in October 1976 and played a few parties before heading to New York to play some shows. Eventually, Pierson and the other band members began commuting between Athens and New York, playing gigs.

Personal life

From 1981 to 1996, Pierson was in a relationship with artist Tim Rollins. She is the owner of Kate's Lazy Desert in

Landers, California Landers is an unincorporated community in the High Desert region of the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, Southern California. Landers' population, as of 2017, is 2,982 people. Its residents are sometimes referred to as "Landroids"—an ...

, Kate's Lazy Cabin in Woodstock, New York, and Kate's Lazy Meadow in

Mount Tremper, New York Mount Tremper is a hamlet in the Town of Shandaken in Ulster County, New York, United States. Mount Tremper is situated to the east of New York State Route 28 and to the north of New York State Route 212, within the Catskill Park. The community ...

, a rustic modern lodge in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...

. She operates the businesses with her wife Monica Coleman, whom she married on August 3, 2015. In a 2015 interview, Pierson stated that she identifies as

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

Collaborations

* The

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, in the early 1980s on the song "Chop Suey", with Cindy Wilson and

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

; the title is available as a bonus track on the Ramones' re-release CD ''Pleasant Dreams''. * Pierson, Wilson and Strickland were part of the group Melon, and recorded two songs ("I Will Call You" and "Honeydew") for a Japanese TV show titled ''Snakeman Show''. The soundtrack LP (in 1980) and CD (in 1988) were only released in Japan. * Fred Schneider, on his '' Fred Schneider & the Shake Society'' solo album from 1984, on songs "Monster", "Summer in Hell", "I'm Gonna Haunt You" and "Boonga (The New Jersey Caveman)". *

, on the 1990 Top-30 song "

Candy Candy, also called sweets (British English) or lollies (Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language an ...

". *

, on the songs "

Shiny Happy People "Shiny Happy People" is a song by the American rock band R.E.M. from their seventh studio album, '' Out of Time'' (1991). It features guest vocals by Kate Pierson of the B-52's, who also appears in the music video. According to the singer Micha ...

", " Near Wild Heaven", " Radio Song", and " Me in Honey" from the 1991 album '' Out of Time'', and "Fretless" from the 1991 soundtrack ''

Until the End of the World ''Until the End of the World'' (german: Bis ans Ende der Welt; french: Jusqu'au bout du monde) is a 1991 science fiction adventure drama film directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Set at the turn of the millennium in the shadow of a world ...

''. *

Matthew Sweet Sidney Matthew Sweet (born October 6, 1964) is an American alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician who was part of the burgeoning music scene in Athens, Georgia, during the 1980s before gaining commercial success in the 1990 ...

, on the 1989 album ''

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

''. * With Cindy Wilson on their cover of the McFadden & Whitehead's song "

Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a 1979 disco song performed by American R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead, from their debut album ''McFadden & Whitehead''. They wrote and produced the song along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen. McFadden & Whitehead wou ...

", recorded for the soundtrack '' The Associate'' in 1996. * The soundtrack for ''

The Rugrats Movie ''The Rugrats Movie'' is a 1998 American animated comedy film based on the Nickelodeon animated television series ''Rugrats''. It was directed by Igor Kovalyov and Norton Virgien and was written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem. The film introd ...

'', released in 1998 contains the track "The World Is Something New To Me" and features Pierson, Schneider and Wilson along with other artists. * " We Are Family", a single released to raise money for the victims of the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

, features Pierson and Schneider in the chorus and on the DVD documentation. * Pierson sang with

Jay Ungar Jay Ungar (born November 14, 1946) is an American folk musician and composer. Life and career Ungar was born in the Bronx, New York City. He frequented Greenwich Village music venues during his formative period in the 1960s. In the late 1960s, ...

and Molly Mason on their 2003 album ''Relax Your Mind'', on the track "Bad Attitude". *

Junior Senior Junior Senior were a Danish pop duo. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, percussion) (born 7 February 1977) and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen (vocals, programming) (born 25 December 1975). ...

, on the song "Take My Time" from the 2005 album ''

Hey Hey My My Yo Yo ''Hey Hey My My Yo Yo'' is the second and final album by Danish pop duo Junior Senior, released in Japan and parts of Europe in 2005. It was released in Australia on 9 April 2007. The album was released on 14 August 2007 in the United States and ...

'' (with Cindy Wilson). *

Peter Jöback Peter Arne Jöback (born 4 June 1971 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish singer, actor and musical artist. Biography Early life and education Peter Jöback was born on 4 June 1971 in Stockholm. He spent his childhood in Värmland and Östergö ...

, duet on the song "Sing" from the 2009 album ''East Side Stories''. *

David Byrne David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...

and

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

, on the song "The Whole Man" from the 2010 album ''

Here Lies Love ''Here Lies Love'' is a concept album and rock musical made in collaboration between David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, about the life of the former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos along with the woman who raised her—Estrella Cumpas� ...

''. * She was also a member of the Japanese group

NiNa Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms *National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq * Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology *No income, ...

with

Yuki Isoya Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to: Places * Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan * Yuki, ...

and co-wrote and performed a complete album, with the hit singles "Happy Tomorrow" and "Aurora Tour". The album and singles were only released in Japan. Two songs were used as the ending theme song to the anime ''

Arc the Lad is a series of tactical role-playing games created by Toshiro Tsuchida and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Each ''Arc the Lad'' game often features recurring characters and locations, as well as a consistent timeline. Most of the s ...

''. * She appeared in Blondie's music video for "Mother". * The soundtrack album ''

Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was originally broadcast as a ...

: Rockin' and Rollin released in September 2013 features Pierson singing: "Let's Spend Half A Day". The album is only available as a download. * One song on

Downes Downes may refer to: * Downes Sports F.C., the former name of Hinckley Downes F.C. * Downes v. Bidwell, a US Supreme Court case * Downes (surname), people with the surname ''Downes'' * USS Downes, USS ''Downes'', several United States Navy ships S ...

Braide Association's 2017 album ''Skyscraper Souls''.

Albums

*2015: '' Guitars and Microphones''

Film and television

* ''

'' (1998, voice only) * ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'' (1994, as "The BC-52's") * ''

A Matter of Degrees ''A Matter of Degrees'' is a 1990 American comedy film directed by W.T. Morgan and written by Randall Poster, Jack Mason and W.T. Morgan. The film stars Arye Gross, Judith Hoag (in her film debut), Tom Sizemore, and Wendell Pierce. John Doe (musi ...

'' (1990) * '' Athens, GA: Inside/Out'' (1987) * '' One Trick Pony'' (1980) * Pierson portrayed a club owner in the ''

Flight of the Conchords Flight of the Conchords is a New Zealand musical comedy duo formed in Wellington in 1998. The band consists of multi-instrumentalists Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement. Beginning as a popular live comedy act in the early 2000s, the duo's comed ...

'' episode "

What Goes on Tour "What Goes on Tour" is the ninth episode of the HBO comedy series ''Flight of the Conchords (TV series), Flight of the Conchords''. This episode first aired in the United States on Sunday, August 12, 2007. Plot synopsis At a band meeting, Murray ...

". * ''

The Adventures of Pete and Pete ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American comedy television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia ...

'' (1993, "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation") * Pierson is credited alongside Fred Schneider in the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

cartoon ''

Rocko's Modern Life ''Rocko's Modern Life'' is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray for Nickelodeon. The series centers on the surreal life of an anthropomorphic Australian immigrant wallaby named Rocko and his friends: the eccentric steer ...

'' for the theme song vocals. * Pierson, with the B-52's, appeared in an episode of the CBS soap opera ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' in 1982. * Pierson, with the B-52's, performed a parody of the song "

Love Shack "Love Shack" is a song by American new wave band the B-52's from their fifth studio album, ''Cosmic Thing'' (1989). It was released on June 20, 1989, and was produced by Don Was. The song was a comeback for the band following their decline in p ...

" titled "Glove Slap" in an episode of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'' (1999, " E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)"). * ''

'' (2012): performed the song "Spend Half a Day" in the episode "Perry the Actorpus". * Pierson appears as herself in one episode of ''

Difficult People ''Difficult People'' is an American dark comedy streaming television series created by Julie Klausner. Klausner stars alongside Billy Eichner as two struggling and jaded comedians living in New York City; the duo seemingly hate everyone but each ...

'' titled "36 Candles".36 Candles - Difficult People
,

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

, retrieved May 6, 2022.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pierson, Kate 1948 births Living people People from Rutherford, New Jersey People from Weehawken, New Jersey 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Songwriters from New Jersey American organists American rock keyboardists American sopranos American women rock singers American new wave musicians Women new wave singers Bisexual women Bisexual musicians LGBT people from New Jersey LGBT singers from the United States Singers from New Jersey The B-52's members Guitarists from New Jersey Women organists 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century organists 21st-century American keyboardists 20th-century American women guitarists