Ricky Wilson (American musician)
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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.
Among guitar aficionados, Wilson'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.
Wilson died on October 12, 1985,aged 32, from health complications related to AIDS [1].
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 Wilson.
[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
| The B-52's |
| Fred Schneider | Kate Pierson | Cindy Wilson | Keith Strickland | Ricky Wilson |
| Discography |
|---|
| 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 |
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