Ricky Wilson (American musician)

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For the Kaiser Chiefs singer, see Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs).

Ricky Helton Wilson (March 3, 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.

Among guitar aficionados, Ricky's most salient feature must surely be his highly original approach to playing the instrument. 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.

His style is said to have been heavily influenced by American Surf Group The Ventures, possibly Syd Barrett's "Lucifer Sam" and other Batman-style sixties music. A blue Mosrite so modified is visible on the back cover of the B-52's self-titled first album.

Ricky died from health complications related to AIDS.

Following his death, fellow B-52's member Keith Strickland (originally the drummer for The B-52's) learned how to play the guitar in a similar fashion to Ricky.

[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] External links

Discography
The B-52's
Fred Schneider \| Kate Pierson \| Cindy Wilson \| Keith Strickland \| Ricky Wilson
Studio albums: The B-52's \| Wild Planet \| Party Mix! \| Mesopotamia \| Whammy! \| Bouncing off the Satellites \| Cosmic Thing \| Good Stuff \| Time Capsule: Songs for a Future Generation \| Nude on the Moon: The B-52's Anthology
DVDs: The B-52's 1979-1989 \| The B-52's Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation 1979-1998