Ricky Helton Wilson (March 19, 1953 – October 12, 1985) was an American musician best known as the original guitarist and founding member of rock band

the B-52s The B-52s, originally presented as the B-52's (with an errant grocer's apostrophe, apostrophe; used until 2008), are an American band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate ...

. Born in

Athens, Georgia Athens is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an Research I university, ...

, Wilson was the brother of fellow member

Cindy Wilson Cynthia Leigh Wilson (born February 28, 1957) is an American musician and one of the vocalists, songwriters and founding members of New wave music, new wave rock band the B-52s. She is noted for her distinctive contralto voice and also plays per ...

. The B-52s were founded in 1976, when Ricky, Cindy,

Kate Pierson Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of the B-52s. She plays guitar, bass and various keyboard instruments. In the early years, as well as being a vocalist, Pierson was the main ...

Keith Strickland Julian Keith Strickland (born October 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, musician, multi-instrumentalist, and one of the founding members of the B-52s. He was born in Athens, Georgia. Originally the band's drummer, Strickland ...

and

Fred Schneider Frederick William Schneider III (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock band the B-52s, of which he is a founding member. Schneider is well known for his '' sprechgesang'', which he developed from reciting ...

shared a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant and, after an impromptu music session at the home of their friend Owen Scott III, played for the first time at a

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

party for friends. Wilson's unusual guitar tunings were a large contribution to the band's quirky sound. On October 12, 1985, at the age of 32, Wilson died from complications related to

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

following the recording of the band's fourth studio album ''

Bouncing Off the Satellites ''Bouncing off the Satellites'' is the fourth studio album by American new wave band the B-52's, released on September 8, 1986, by Warner Bros. (US) and Island Records (Europe, Japan). It was recorded in July 1985 and was produced by Tony Mansfi ...

''. According to Strickland, the album had been completed and mixed before Wilson's death, with only the cover art not yet designed (an illustration by

Kenny Scharf Kenny Scharf (born November 23, 1958) is an American painter known for his participation in New York City's interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, alongside Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Scharf's do-it-yourself pract ...

was ultimately decided upon). Devastated, the band went into seclusion and did not tour to promote the album, though they did several photo shoots and TV appearances and filmed a video for "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland". In addition to his work with the B-52s, Wilson played the guitar on the song "Breakin' in My Heart" on

Tom Verlaine Thomas Joseph Miller (December 13, 1949 – January 28, 2023), known professionally as Tom Verlaine, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, best known as the frontman of the New York City rock band Television. Biography Verlaine was ...

's self-titled debut album in 1979. This was his only non-B-52s appearance on record. He also appeared in various films, notably '' One Trick Pony''. Posthumously, he also appeared in '' Athens, GA: Inside/Out'', ''The B-52s 1979–1989'', and '' Time Capsule: Videos for a Future Generation'' through archival footage. ''Rolling Stone'' named Wilson the 247th greatest guitarist of all time in 2023.

Early life

Wilson was born on March 19, 1953, to Bobby Jack Wilson, a firefighter and a veteran of the United States Army, and Linda J. Wilson (née Mairholtz), in

. He was the elder brother of

. At an early age, Wilson developed an interest in music and learned how to play folk guitar from the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

series ''Learning Folk Guitar''. Upon entering

Clarke Central High School Clarke Central High School (CCHS) is located in Athens, Georgia, United States. In 1970, Clarke County schools were desegregated, and the high school for black children, Burney-Harris High School (formerly Athens High and Industrial School), and ...

, Wilson had upgraded to a Silvertone guitar and, to tape his music, purchased a two-track tape recorder with money earned from a summer job at the local landfill. In mid-1969, Wilson met former Comer resident

at the local

head shop A head shop is a retail outlet specializing in Drug paraphernalia, paraphernalia used for consumption of cannabis and tobacco and items related to cannabis culture and related countercultures. They emerged from the hippie counterculture in ...

The Looking Glass. The two shared common interests in music and Eastern mysticist culture and quickly became friends. Wilson quietly came out as gay to Strickland while the two were in their teens, becoming the first member of the band to do so.

Career

1970–1976: Black Narcissus

During mid-1969, both Wilson and Strickland collaborated in writing and performing music, loosely calling themselves Loon, and aspired to perform live. From 1969 to 1971, Wilson and Strickland collaborated with high school friends Pete Love of

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

and Athens native Owen Scott III in performing together as the four-member band Black Narcissus. Upon graduation from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

in 1976, Wilson kept in touch with Strickland and they toured Europe, eventually returning and taking jobs at the Southeastern Stages bus station in Athens, Georgia where Strickland's father was the manager.

1976–1985: The B-52s

In late 1976, Strickland and Wilson returned to Athens in search of further employment. The two joined the B-52s when they, Wilson's sister Cindy,

, and

of local

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

band the Sun-Donuts, formed the group in an impromptu musical practice session after sharing a tropical flaming volcano drink at a Chinese restaurant. They played their first concert in 1977 at a

party for friends. The band's quirky take on the new wave sound of their era was a combination of dance and

surf music Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

set apart by the unusual guitar tunings used by Wilson. Wilson cited various children's records,

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York C ...

, and Esquerita and the Voola as sources of inspiration in his musical career. Wilson also played the guitar on the song "Breakin' In My Heart" on

's self-titled debut album.

Illness and death

In 1983, during recording sessions for the band's third studio album ''

Whammy! ''Whammy!'' is the third studio album by American New wave music, new wave band the B-52's, released on April 27, 1983, by Warner Records, Warner Bros. (US) and Island Records (Europe, Japan). It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, B ...

'', Wilson discovered he had contracted

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

. He confided his illness to Keith Strickland. In 1985, during recording for their album ''

'', Wilson's illness became more severe; both Strickland and Pierson have stated that despite this, he kept his illness secret from the other members of the band. In an interview, Pierson stated that Wilson did so because he "did not want anyone to worry about him or fuss about him". On October 12, 1985, in the

Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute– designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Its main campus is ...

, Wilson died of

, at the age of 32. He was buried in Oconee Hill Cemetery in Athens. Devastated, the band did little promotional work and did not tour to promote the album. Allmusic Guide Biography for The B-52s/ref> Upon reforming in 1988, the band continued as a four-piece, with Strickland replicating Wilson's riffs from their earlier material in live performances.

References

* Johnson, Chad.
CliffsNotes to Guitar Songs
'. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 2014. * Perone, James E.
The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations, 4 Volumes
'. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2012. * * Simmonds, Jeremy.
The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches
'. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2012. * Various Mojo Magazine.
The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition
'. Edinburgh, UK: Canongate Books, 2007. * Ricky Wilson (B-52s), Danelectro Dano Pro Electric Guitar from Equipboard.com
Ricky Wilson (B-52s)'s Danelectro Dano Pro Electric Guitar

Ricky Wilson and the Rock Lobster
from Legacy.com.

External links

*
Washington Post Article about Ricky Wilson's Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Ricky 1953 births 1985 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American LGBTQ people AIDS-related deaths in New York (state) American gay musicians American gay writers American lead guitarists American LGBTQ songwriters American male guitarists American new wave musicians American post-punk musicians American rock guitarists American rock songwriters The B-52's members Burials at Oconee Hill Cemetery Gay songwriters Guitarists from Georgia (U.S. state) LGBTQ people from Georgia (U.S. state) Musicians from Athens, Georgia Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) University of Georgia alumni