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 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 ...

. Born in

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 ...

, Wilson was the brother of fellow member

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 ...

. The B-52's were founded in 1976, when Ricky, Cindy,

Kate Pierson Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52's. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the B-52s, she has performed alongside Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneid ...

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 ...

and Fred Schneider shared a tropical

flaming volcano Flaming volcano is a large tropical group cocktail typically made with rum, brandy, pineapple juice, orange juice, and orgeat syrup. Many variations exist, and the cocktail in the 21st century is more about the presentation than an adherence to ...

drink at a Chinese restaurant and, after an impromptu

music session A music session is a social gathering of musicians and singers who perform music in a relatively informal context. Much of the music performed at such events is traditional music for the area, popular songs and other well-known tunes. In session ...

at the home of their friend Owen Scott III, played for the first time at a

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

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 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 m ...

following the recording of the band's fourth studio album ''

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 by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfield. Founding member and guitari ...

''. 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 Kenny Scharf (born November 23, 1958) is an American painter known for his participation in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Scharf's do-it-yourself pract ...

was ultimately decided upon). Devastated, the band went into seclusion and did not tour to promote the album, though they did several photo shoots and TV appearances and filmed a video for "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland". In addition to his work with the B-52's, Wilson played the guitar on the song "Breakin' in My Heart" on

Tom Verlaine Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was born Thomas Miller in Denville, New Jersey and ...

's self-titled debut album in 1979. This was his only non-B-52's appearance on record. He also appeared in various films, notably '' One Trick Pony''. Posthumously, he also appeared in '' Athens, GA: Inside/Out'', ''The B-52's 1979–1989'', and '' The B-52's Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979–1998'' through archival footage.

Early life

Wilson was born on March 19, 1953 to Bobby Jack Wilson, a fireman and a veteran of the United States Army, and Linda J. Wilson (née Mairholtz), in

. He was the elder brother of

. At an early age, Wilson developed an interest in music and learned how to play

folk guitar Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

from the

NET Net or net may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Net (mathematics), a filter-like topological generalization of a sequence * Net, a linear system of divisors of dimension 2 * Net (polyhedron), an arrangement of polygons that can be folded up ...

series ''Learning Folk Guitar''. Upon entering

Clarke Central High School Clarke Central High School (CCHS) is located in Athens, Georgia, United States. In 1970, Clarke County schools were desegregated, and the high school for black children, Burney-Harris High School (formerly Athens High and Industrial School), and t ...

, Wilson had upgraded to a Silvertone guitar and, to tape his music, purchased a two-track tape recorder with money earned from a summer job at the local landfill. In mid-1969, Wilson met former Comer resident

at the local

head shop A head shop is a retail outlet specializing in paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis and tobacco and items related to cannabis culture and related countercultures. They emerged from the hippie counterculture in the late 1960s, and ...

The Looking Glass. The two shared common interests in music and Eastern mysticist culture and quickly became friends. Wilson quietly came out as gay to Strickland while the two were in their teens, becoming the first member of the band to do so.

Musical career

1970–1976: Black Narcissus

During mid-1969, both Wilson and Strickland collaborated in writing and performing music, loosely calling themselves Loon, and aspired to perform live. From 1969 to 1971, Wilson and Strickland collaborated with high school friends Pete Love of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

and Athens native Owen Scott, III in performing together as the four-member band Black Narcissus. Upon graduation from the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in 1976, Wilson kept in touch with Strickland and they toured Europe, eventually returning and taking jobs at the Southeastern Stages bus station in Athens, Georgia where Strickland's father was the manager.

1976–1985: The B-52's

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 Fred Schneider of local

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

band the Sun-Donuts, formed the group in an impromptu musical practice session after sharing a tropical

drink at a Chinese restaurant. They played their first concert in 1977 at a

party for friends. The band's quirky take on the new wave sound of their era was a combination of dance and

surf music Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental s ...

set apart by the unusual guitar tunings used by Wilson. Wilson cited various children's records,

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

, and Esquerita and the Voola as sources of inspiration in his musical career. Wilson also played the guitar on the song "Breakin' In My Heart" on

's self-titled debut album.

Illness and death

In 1983, during recording sessions for the band's third studio album ''

Whammy! ''Whammy!'' is the third studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983 in the United States, with Warner Bros. Records as the primary label. It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas, in December ...

'', Wilson discovered he had contracted

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

. He confided his illness to Keith Strickland, as stated in several interviews including one with ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''. In 1985, during recording for their album ''

'', Wilson's illness became more severe; both Strickland and Pierson have stated that despite this, he kept his illness secret from the other members of the band. In an interview, Pierson stated that Wilson did so because he "did not want anyone to worry about him or fuss about him". On October 12, 1985, in the

Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute� ...

, Wilson died of

, at the age of 32. He was buried in

Oconee Hill Cemetery Oconee Hill Cemetery is a cemetery in Athens, Georgia, United States. The extant cemetery opened in 1856 and is located near the University of Georgia. Oconee Hill Cemetery was purchased in 1855 by the city of Athens when further burials were pro ...

in Athens. Devastated, the band did little promotional work and did not tour to promote the album.

Allmusic Guide Biography for The B-52s AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

/ref> Upon reforming in 1988, the band continued as a four-piece, with Strickland replicating Wilson's riffs from their earlier material in live performances.

References

*Johnson, Chad.
CliffsNotes to Guitar Songs
'. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 2014. *Perone, James E.
The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations, 4 Volumes
'. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2012. * *Simmonds, Jeremy.
The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches
'. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2012. *Various Mojo Magazine.
The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition
'. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate Books, 2007. *Ricky Wilson (B-52's), Danelectro Dano Pro Electric Guitar from Equipboard.com
Ricky Wilson (B-52's)'s Danelectro Dano Pro Electric Guitar

Ricky Wilson and the Rock Lobster
from Legacy.com.

External links

*
Washington Post Article about Ricky Wilson's Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Ricky 1953 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American singers 20th-century American male singers AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) American male guitarists American new wave musicians American post-punk musicians American rock guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Burials in Georgia (U.S. state) American gay musicians Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) LGBT people from Georgia (U.S. state) LGBT singers from the United States LGBT songwriters Lead guitarists Musicians from Athens, Georgia Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) The B-52's members University of Georgia alumni 20th-century LGBT people