Ricky Wilson (American musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ricky Wilson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | March 19, 1953 in Athens, GA |
| Died | October 12, 1985 (aged 32) |
| Genre(s) | New Wave |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar |
| Associated acts | The B-52's |
Ricky Helton Wilson (March 19, 1953 – October 12, 1985) was the original guitarist in the rock band The B-52's, which he helped to form in 1976.
Born in Athens, Georgia, he was the brother of fellow B-52's member Cindy Wilson. Like both other male members of the band, Wilson was openly gay (to the disappointment of many female fans).[1]
Because at first The B-52's did not have a bass, he invented his own tunings, grouping the strings into a bass course (usually tuned to 5ths for strumming) and a treble course (often tuned in unison), removing the middle two strings entirely, though sometimes he played with 5 strings as well. A blue Mosrite so modified is visible on the back cover of the B-52's self-titled first album. It was an unusual way to tune the guitar but it worked amazingly well and people were surprised that there was no bass player.
Wilson died on October 12, 1985, aged 32, from health complications related to AIDS.[2]
Following his death, fellow B-52's member Keith Strickland (originally the drummer for the B-52's) learned how to play the guitar.
Contents |
[edit] Collaborations
- Ricky Wilson played the guitar on the song "Breakin' In My Heart" on the 1979 self-titled album by Tom Verlaine.
[edit] Filmography
- Athens, GA.: Inside/Out (1987), archive footage
- One Trick Pony (1980)
[edit] References
- ^ Che, Cathay (February 5, 2002). 52's still rockin' at 25. Retrieved on 2007-03-08.
- ^ AIDS and the Arts: A Lost Generation - Newsweek Health - MSNBC.com
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This article on a U.S. guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
