Cindy Wilson
Her powerful contralto and wild wigs helped define the B-52s' quirky, danceable sound, making new wave safe for fun and fashion.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American musician·Birthday: February 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Cindy Wilson didn't just join a band; she helped invent a universe. The story goes that the B-52s were born from a shared tropical drink in Athens, Georgia, with Wilson, her brother Ricky, and friends. From those loose beginnings, she became one of the group's twin vocal engines, her deeper, resonant voice providing a crucial counterpoint to Kate Pierson's higher register. Wilson was more than a singer; she was a visual and sonic architect of the band's identity, her towering beehive hairdo becoming an instant icon. Through hits like 'Rock Lobster' and 'Love Shack,' she projected a unique blend of Southern warmth and new wave cool. After her brother's death in 1985, she took a step back but later returned, her voice remaining a vital, enduring thread in the fabric of American alternative music.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cindy was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cindy Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Cindy's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the B-52s, a band inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
- Provided lead and backing vocals on the band's multi-platinum album 'Cosmic Thing,' which sold over four million copies.
- Her vocal performance on 'Rock Lobster' was instrumental in the song's success, helping to spark the new wave movement in the United States.
Did You Know?
She plays percussion, like the tambourine and güiro, during the B-52s' live performances.
The band's name is inspired by the Southern slang for the tall, beehive hairstyle she and Kate Pierson wore.
She released solo albums in 2016 and 2017, exploring a more atmospheric, synth-pop sound.
She is the younger sister of the band's original guitarist, the late Ricky Wilson.
“We were just having fun. We never thought it would turn into a career.”
