The B-52′s first ever gig at a Valentine’s Day party in Athens, GA, in 1977, as documented by Kelly Bugden (1st pic L-R: Fred Schneider, Cindy Wilson & Kate Pierson).
“…So just as all alienated teenagers tend to do, where there was a void, you made something up. In the mid ’70’s, more than 20,000 students attended UGA, but Athens didn’t have much of a bar or club scene. Parties happened on campus in the dorms, or at the old houses students were renting while in school. And if you were in a band, the only gigs you got typically were playing at one of these parties.
On Valentine’s Day 1977 , a group of about 15 or 20 UGA art students gathered in their most fabulous thrift-store finds at Julia Stimpson and Gray Lippett’s house at the corner of Prince and Millidge Avenues, across the street from the Dunkin’ Donuts’ to listen to The B-52’s play their first show. As the band played, the students danced.
Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Keith Strickland, Ricky Wilson and Cindy Wilson formed The B-52s less out of a desire to become rich and famous musicians and more because they had been drinking and just wanted to jam. And what these kids all shared was the sense of alienation, the kind that leads to creativity.
The B-52’s played just a few parties in Athens, then their first paying gig at the Last Resort. And then that was it. They headed to New York and by 1978, they were playing regular shows at places like Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s. They soon signed on with Island Records to record their first album. Of course, they would return to Athens to play many times over the years, but their days of being considered a local party band were over, setting the stage for other bands to make their mark on the scene…”. theculturecrush
SONGS SMITHS 