Biography
Kate Pierson serves as the dynamic and lighthearted co-vocalist for the cherished new wave dance outfit the B-52s, sustaining her focus on empowerment and inclusivity across her own energetic alternative dance recordings. Decades passed before she pursued solo work, with nearly 40 years devoted to the landmark Athens, Georgia ensemble before issuing her debut solo album, Guitars and Microphones, in 2015. The 2024 follow-up Radios & Rainbows likewise spans dance-rock, indie pop, disco, and additional styles.
Born April 27, 1948, in Weehawken, New York, Pierson displayed an early political awareness as an avid Bob Dylan listener during junior high and performed protest songs with a local folk ensemble. Her interests broadened into rock & roll once the Beatles arrived in America, leading her to join the band the Sun Doughnuts while still in high school.
In the 1970s the cheerfully countercultural Pierson relocated from New Jersey to Athens, Georgia, intending to pursue what she described as “a back-to-the-land thing, raise goats and be out in the country.” Instead, she connected in 1976 with local bohemians Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and Ricky Wilson. After an impromptu jam session following a party at a Chinese restaurant, the group formed a band. They adopted the name the B-52 from regional slang for the exaggerated beehive hairstyles that Kate and Cindy wore onstage; their 1978 independent single “Rock Lobster” b/w “52 Girls” emerged as an underground success from Athens’ developing new wave scene and secured a Warner Bros. contract. The B-52s ranked among the leading American new wave acts of the 1980s, though Ricky Wilson’s death in 1985 paused activity for several years. Their 1989 album Cosmic Thing ultimately became their biggest commercial success, propelled by the hit single “Love Shack” and establishing them as a durable concert draw for years afterward.
Despite the B-52s’ demanding schedule, Pierson contributed guest vocals to other artists, most prominently sharing the microphone with Iggy Pop on the 1990 single “Candy” from Brick by Brick and supplying distinctive backing on R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People,” which also featured her in the video. She joined the new wave supergroup NiNa in 1999 alongside Mick Karn of the U.K.’s Japan, Takemi Shima and Masahide Sakuma of the Japanese band the Plastics, and Yuki of the J-pop group Judy and Mary. NiNa issued a self-titled album late that year, toured, and then pursued separate projects without an official breakup. In 2003 Pierson recorded three tracks for the covers collection Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney, which also showcased multiple performances by Graham Parker, Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz, and the alternative group Johnny Society.
Following the start of the 2000s, Pierson’s time away from the B-52s centered on Kate’s Lazy Meadow, the retro-styled motel she and partner Monica Coleman opened in Mount Tremper, New York, near the Catskill Mountains, where mid-century kitsch defines the decor. The pair later launched a second property, Kate’s Lazy Desert, near Joshua Tree in California. Occasional songwriting for a personal project finally yielded her first solo album, Guitars and Microphones, in early 2015. Released on her own Lazy Meadow Music imprint and produced in part by Sia, who co-wrote nine of the ten songs, the record revealed a more reflective and stylistically broad aspect of Pierson’s work and included contributions from Sia, Nick Valensi, Dallas Austin, and Tim Anderson.
Pierson later reconvened with Sia and additional songwriter/producers Jimmy Harry, Chris Braide, Bleu, and JD Walker for her second solo album. The September 2024 release Radios & Rainbows presents another varied yet dance-oriented collection. Meanwhile the B-52s concluded a farewell tour in 2023 before beginning an occasional Las Vegas residency that continued to add dates into late 2024.
Born April 27, 1948, in Weehawken, New York, Pierson displayed an early political awareness as an avid Bob Dylan listener during junior high and performed protest songs with a local folk ensemble. Her interests broadened into rock & roll once the Beatles arrived in America, leading her to join the band the Sun Doughnuts while still in high school.
In the 1970s the cheerfully countercultural Pierson relocated from New Jersey to Athens, Georgia, intending to pursue what she described as “a back-to-the-land thing, raise goats and be out in the country.” Instead, she connected in 1976 with local bohemians Fred Schneider, Keith Strickland, Cindy Wilson, and Ricky Wilson. After an impromptu jam session following a party at a Chinese restaurant, the group formed a band. They adopted the name the B-52 from regional slang for the exaggerated beehive hairstyles that Kate and Cindy wore onstage; their 1978 independent single “Rock Lobster” b/w “52 Girls” emerged as an underground success from Athens’ developing new wave scene and secured a Warner Bros. contract. The B-52s ranked among the leading American new wave acts of the 1980s, though Ricky Wilson’s death in 1985 paused activity for several years. Their 1989 album Cosmic Thing ultimately became their biggest commercial success, propelled by the hit single “Love Shack” and establishing them as a durable concert draw for years afterward.
Despite the B-52s’ demanding schedule, Pierson contributed guest vocals to other artists, most prominently sharing the microphone with Iggy Pop on the 1990 single “Candy” from Brick by Brick and supplying distinctive backing on R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People,” which also featured her in the video. She joined the new wave supergroup NiNa in 1999 alongside Mick Karn of the U.K.’s Japan, Takemi Shima and Masahide Sakuma of the Japanese band the Plastics, and Yuki of the J-pop group Judy and Mary. NiNa issued a self-titled album late that year, toured, and then pursued separate projects without an official breakup. In 2003 Pierson recorded three tracks for the covers collection Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney, which also showcased multiple performances by Graham Parker, Buffalo Tom’s Bill Janovitz, and the alternative group Johnny Society.
Following the start of the 2000s, Pierson’s time away from the B-52s centered on Kate’s Lazy Meadow, the retro-styled motel she and partner Monica Coleman opened in Mount Tremper, New York, near the Catskill Mountains, where mid-century kitsch defines the decor. The pair later launched a second property, Kate’s Lazy Desert, near Joshua Tree in California. Occasional songwriting for a personal project finally yielded her first solo album, Guitars and Microphones, in early 2015. Released on her own Lazy Meadow Music imprint and produced in part by Sia, who co-wrote nine of the ten songs, the record revealed a more reflective and stylistically broad aspect of Pierson’s work and included contributions from Sia, Nick Valensi, Dallas Austin, and Tim Anderson.
Pierson later reconvened with Sia and additional songwriter/producers Jimmy Harry, Chris Braide, Bleu, and JD Walker for her second solo album. The September 2024 release Radios & Rainbows presents another varied yet dance-oriented collection. Meanwhile the B-52s concluded a farewell tour in 2023 before beginning an occasional Las Vegas residency that continued to add dates into late 2024.
Albums
Singles
