Catherine Elizabeth Pierson (born April 27, 1948)[1] 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 keyboard player and performed on a keyboard bass during live shows and on many of the band's recordings, taking on a role usually filled by a bass guitar player, which differentiated the band from their contemporaries. This, along with Pierson's distinctive wide-ranging singing voice, remains a trademark of the B-52s' unique sound. Pierson has also collaborated with many other artists including the Ramones, Iggy Pop and R.E.M. Pierson possesses a mezzo-sopranovocal range.
In February 2015, Pierson released her first solo album, Guitars and Microphones, featuring material co-written by Sia.[2] She later released the non-album single "Better Not Sting the Bee", and then she released an April 16, 2016 cover of "Venus" as a single. Side B included "Radio In Bed" written by Kate and her wife Monica Coleman. Both tracks were produced by Jack White.
Pierson briefly attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois before transferring to Boston University, where she earned a journalism degree.[6] She then traveled around Europe for a time in the 1970s, including six months working as a barmaid in The Anson pub in Wallsend, UK,[7] before returning to the U.S. and moving to Athens, Georgia, where she lived on a farm and earned a living as a paste-up artist in the type shop of the local newspaper.[6]
Music career
Pierson met up with the other members of what would become the B-52s while living in Athens, Georgia.[6] The band formed in October 1976 and played a few parties before heading to New York to play some shows.[6] Eventually, Pierson and the other band members began commuting between Athens and New York, playing gigs.[6]
Personal life
Pierson was married to Brian Cokayne, a Mancunian, whom she met while living in Europe between 1971 and 1973.[8]
From 1981 to 1996, Pierson was in a relationship with artist Tim Rollins.[9]
In 2003, Pierson started a relationship with artist and designer Monica Coleman. They got married on August 3, 2015.[10]
Pierson and Coleman developed Kate's Lazy Meadow motel complex in Mount Tremper, New York in 2003.[11] They have also owned Kate's Lazy Cabin in nearby Lake Hill, New York, both in the Catskill Mountains, Kate's Lazy Desert in Landers, California, and Kate's Lazy Cape located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.[12] They have operated the businesses together.[13][14] In 2022, Pierson indicated that the couple had sold Kate's Lazy Meadow, then purchased the vacation home on Cape Cod in Truro, Massachusetts.[15][16]
In a 2015 interview, Pierson stated that she identifies as bisexual.[17]
Collaborations
The Ramones, in the early 1980s on the song "Chop Suey", with Cindy Wilson and Debbie Harry; the title is available as a bonus track on the Ramones' re-release CD Pleasant Dreams.
Pierson, Wilson and Strickland were part of the group Melon, and recorded two songs ("I Will Call You" and "Honeydew") for a Japanese TV show titled Snakeman Show. The soundtrack LP (in 1980) and CD (in 1988) were only released in Japan.
Fred Schneider, on his Fred Schneider & the Shake Society solo album from 1984, on songs "Monster", "Summer in Hell", "I'm Gonna Haunt You" and "Boonga (The New Jersey Caveman)".
The soundtrack for The Rugrats Movie, released in 1998 contains the track "The World Is Something New to Me" and features Pierson, Schneider and Wilson along with other artists.
"We Are Family", a single released to raise money for the victims of the September 11 attacks, features Pierson and Schneider in the chorus and on the DVD documentation.
Pierson sang with Jay Ungar and Molly Mason on their 2003 album Relax Your Mind, on the track "Bad Attitude".
She was also a member of the Japanese group NiNa with Yuki Isoya and co-wrote and performed a complete album, with the hit singles "Happy Tomorrow" and "Aurora Tour". The album and singles were only released in Japan. Two songs were used as the ending theme song to the anime Arc the Lad.
She appeared in Blondie's music video for "Mother".[19]
The soundtrack album Phineas and Ferb: Rockin' and Rollin' released in September 2013 features Pierson singing: "Let's Spend Half A Day".
One song on DownesBraide Association's 2017 album Skyscraper Souls.
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