The group take their name from the bouffant wigs which help give the band their distinctive look and are worn by the band’s singer Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson.

The band, which also included guitarist Ricky Wilson, drummer Keith Strickland and vocalist Fred Schneider, who formed the band after a drunken night at a Chinese restaurant.

It’s not just the band’s image which makes them distinctive. They also had a unique New Wave sound that combined surf and dance influences, with unusual guitar playing, to create a dance sound that proved a hit with listeners. They were one of the most innovative new wave acts.

The band’s first single, Rock Lobster, was released in 1978 and became a hit on the underground circuit. It was taken from their platinum-selling, self-titled debut album, Rock Lobster, and the song went on to become the band’s first to enter Billboard’s Hot 100 charts.

The album also featured tracks including: Rock Lobster’s B-side 52 Girls and a cover of Petula Clark’s Downtown.

Their success continued with their sophomore album, Wild Planet, which reached the Billboard Top 20. It went on to achieve gold certification and spawned the band’s second hit single Private Idaho. The band won over more fans with a breakthrough performance on the show Saturday Night Live.

The B-52’sthird album release was Party Mix! It featured remixed versions of tracks from their first two albums. In 1983, they shocked fans by adopting an experimental new sound for their Whammy! Album. The band’s third hit single, Legal Tender, was taken from this album.

Tragedy struck in October 1985, when band member Ricky Wilson died aged just 32. Although cancer was originally reported as the cause, it was later revealed that his sad death was AIDS-related. The grief-stricken band disappeared from the public eye, and the lack of promotion for their Bouncing Off the Satellite album caused it to bomb.

Two years later, the band returned with the track Cosmic Thing, which featured on the soundtrack to the movie Earth Girls Are Easy. In 1989, the band were awarded with their much-deserved mainstream breakthrough album, Cosmic Thing.

After this the track the band are most famous for was released, Love Shack. It’s infectious party sound propelled it to number three in the American charts. This success was emulated in 1990 with their track Roam. By the time the band released the hit Deadbeat Club, their “Cosmic…” album had achieved multi-platinum status.

In 1992 Cindy Wilson took a break, leaving the B-52’sto record as a trio. But their tracks failed to emulate their recent success as a four-piece. In 1994, the band’s profile was given a boost by an appearance in live-action movie version of “The Flintstones”, which they sang the title song to.

Cindy Wilson rejoined the band in 1998, just in time to promote their greatest hits collection Time Capsule: Songs For A Future Generation, which was accompanied by a tour.

In 2002, the B-52;s released a more extensive version of their hits: Nude on the Moon: The B-52’sAnthology.

The band continue to play live shows and are currently working on a new album.