Keith Strickland

Keith Strickland

Keith Strickland at "LoveBox" festival London 2007.
Background information
Birth name Keith Strickland
Born October 26, 1953
Origin Athens, Georgia
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Guitar, drums, Bass Guitar, various keyboards, programming
Years active 1976–present
Associated acts The B-52's
Notable instruments
Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, and line 6

Keith Strickland (born October 26, 1953) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and one of the founding members of the The B-52s.

He was born in Athens, Georgia.

Originally the band's drummer, Strickland switched to guitar after the death of guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985. Strickland also plays keyboards and bass guitar on many of The B-52s recordings, and has occasionally provided backing vocals.[1] Strickland composes the music for The B-52s. "Ricky and I used to write the music together, but now I write the individual instrument parts and arrange the instrumental compositions myself. I'm trying to convey a feeling when I compose," Strickland explains. "I think of my instrumentals as soundscapes - the chord progressions, rhythms, harmonics and musical direction are used to evoke various sonic atmospheres or moods."

Strickland came out as gay in 1992.[2]

On December 13, 2012, Strickland announced, via the B-52's Facebook page and official website, that while he would remain a member of the group, he would retire from touring.[3]

Filmography

References

  1. "The B52's Complete Bio". Archived from the original on 2007-03-07. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  2. Dagostino, Scott (5 March 2008). "Bohemian Rhapsody: How some artsy queer kids in Georgia became the World’s Greatest Party Band". fab magazine. …look at people like Marilyn Manson—it’s just so queer anyway. Does it really matter if people come out in rock ‘n’ roll? Do people really care? When Melissa Etheridge came out, her next album went through the roof! I think it’s just a good thing to do for your self. I came out publicly, in the press, for myself. Prior to that, I’d never been asked in the press if I was gay or not but I wanted to put it out there, just for myself.
  3. "The four of us would like to share this message to you, from Keith". theb52s.com (official site). Retrieved 13 December 2012.

External links