Left us on this day (Oct. 12) in 1985: Ricky Wilson (complications of AIDS, age 32), best remembered as the founding guitarist for Athens, Georgia new wave band The B-52s; he, along with his sister Cindy Wilson, Fred Schneider III , Keith Strickland & Kate Pierson were responsible for some of the most skewed, fun & popular songs of the 80s; as a self-taught guitarist, Ricky created his own tunings, often grouping the strings of his Mosrite guitar into a bass course (usually tuned to fifths for strumming) & a treble course (often tuned in unison), removing the middle two strings entirely; coupled with keyboard bass played by Kate Pierson, the band achieved an innovative rocknroll sound without a bass guitar; outside the band, Ricky played on the song Breakin In My Heart from Tom Verlaines 1979 self-titled debut album; he also appeared in various films, including Paul Simons One Trick Pony; posthumously, he also appeared in Athens, GA: Inside/Out, The B-52s 1979-1989 & The B-52s Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979-1998, through archival footage…
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:16:01 +0000
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