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 Ricky Wilson used on their earlier albums. 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. The band also added various members for albums and live performances.
Ricky Wilson died of AIDS-related illness in 1985, and Strickland switched from drums to lead guitar. 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). The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, is an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976.
