Editing Kate Pierson

{{Short description|American singer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist (b. 1948)}}
{{for|the This is Us character|Kate Pearson}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Kate Pierson
| image             = The B-52s (3424905405).jpg
| alt               = Pierson smiling
| caption           = Pierson performing with [[the B-52s]] in 2009
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Catherine Elizabeth Pierson
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1948|4|27}}
| birth_place       = [[Weehawken, New Jersey]], U.S.
| genre             = [[Rock music|Rock]], [[New wave music|new wave]]
| occupation        = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter}}
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|keyboards|guitar|bass|percussion}}
| years_active      = 1976–present
| label             = {{Hlist|[[Warner Records|Warner Bros.]]|[[Reprise Records|Reprise]]|[[Island Records|Island]]|[[Astralwerks Records|Astralwerks]]|Lazy Meadow Music}}
| current_member_of = [[The B-52's]]
| past_member_of    = [[NiNa]]
}}

'''Catherine Elizabeth Pierson''' (born April 27, 1948)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/kate-pierson-17178786 |title=Kate Pierson |website=Biography |access-date=July 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707133023/http://www.biography.com/people/kate-pierson-17178786 |archive-date=July 7, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is an American singer, lyricist, and founding member of [[the B-52s]]. She plays [[guitar]], [[Bass 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.]]

In February 2015, Pierson released her first solo album, ''[[Guitars and Microphones]]'', featuring material co-written by [[Sia]].<ref>[http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/countygrind/2012/08/b52s_kate_pierson_interview_fort_lauderdale.php?page=2 Interview], blogs.browardpalmbeach.com; accessed March 24, 2015.</ref> She later released the non-album single "Better Not Sting the Bee", and then she released an April 16, 2016 cover of "[[Venus (Shocking Blue song)|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.

==Early life and education==
Pierson was born in [[Weehawken, New Jersey]], and raised in [[Rutherford, New Jersey|Rutherford]].<ref>Beckerman, Jim. [http://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/celebrities/B-52s_Party_lands_close_to_hometown.html "B-52s 'Party' lands close to hometown"], ''[[The Record (Bergen County)]]'', August 15, 2009; accessed January 14, 2012. "And with that hair? Kate Pierson, born in Weehawken, raised in Rutherford."</ref><ref>Bream, Jon. "Cameo Critic: Kate Pierson" ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'' June 15, 2008.</ref><ref>Strong, Martin Charles. ''The essential rock discography'' (Canongate U.S.); {{ISBN|978-1-84195-860-6}}.</ref>

Pierson briefly attended [[Wheaton College (Illinois)|Wheaton College]] in [[Wheaton, Illinois]] before transferring to [[Boston University]], where she earned a journalism degree.<ref name="RS1980">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/interview-the-b-52s-113100/|title = Interview: The B-52's| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date = December 11, 1980 |last=Henke |first=James}}</ref> She then traveled around Europe for a time in the 1970s, including six months working as a [[Bartender|barmaid]] in The Anson pub in [[Wallsend]], UK,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chronicle |first=Evening |date=2012-02-16 |title=B-52s star was barmaid at a Wallsend pub in '70s |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/local-news/b-52s-star-barmaid-wallsend-pub-1360710 |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=ChronicleLive |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name="RS1980"/>

==Music career==
Pierson met up with the other members of what would become the B-52s while living in Athens, Georgia.<ref name="RS1980"/>  The band formed in October 1976 and played a few parties before heading to New York to play some shows.<ref name="RS1980"/>  Eventually, Pierson and the other band members began commuting between Athens and New York, playing gigs.<ref name="RS1980"/>

==Personal life==
Pierson was married to Brian Cokayne, a [[Manchester dialect|Mancunian]], whom she met while living in Europe between 1971 and 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-25 |title=The B-52s' Kate Pierson on the Music That Made Her |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/the-b-52s-kate-pierson-on-the-music-that-made-her/ |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>

From 1981 to 1996, Pierson was in a relationship with artist [[Tim Rollins and K.O.S.|Tim Rollins]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jan/12/tim-rollins-obituary |title=Tim Rollins obituary |last=Basciano |first=Oliver |date=2018-01-12 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2018-01-13 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In 2003, Pierson started a relationship with artist and designer Monica Coleman. They got married on August 3, 2015.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ring |first1=Trudy |title=B52s' Kate Pierson Marries Partner Monica Coleman |url=http://www.shewired.com/love-marriage/2015/08/04/b52s-kate-pierson-marries-partner-monica-coleman |website=SheWired |access-date=August 5, 2015 |archive-date=August 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150808001007/http://www.shewired.com/love-marriage/2015/08/04/b52s-kate-pierson-marries-partner-monica-coleman |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Pierson and Coleman developed Kate's Lazy Meadow motel complex in Mount Tremper, New York in 2003.<ref>{{cite web |last=McInerney |first=Jennifer H. |url=https://capecodandtheislandsmag.com/kates-lazy-cape/  |title=Kate's Lazy Cape |publisher=Cape Cod & The Islands Magazine |date=November 9, 2022 |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Matt |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/168394 |title=The Making of a Rockpreneur |publisher=Entrepreneur.com |date=October 13, 2006 |access-date=April 4, 2019}}</ref> They have operated the businesses together.<ref>[http://www.outtraveler.com/features.asp?did=618 Profile] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071004115603/http://www.outtraveler.com/features.asp?did=618 |date=October 4, 2007}}, OutTraveler.com; accessed March 24, 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Strauss |first=Alix |date=2020-08-14 |title=How Kate Pierson, of the B-52's, and Monica Coleman, Spend Their Sundays |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/14/nyregion/coronavirus-kate-pierson-b-52s.html |access-date=2022-09-13 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In 2022, Pierson indicated that the couple had sold Kate's Lazy Meadow, then purchased the vacation home  on Cape Cod in Truro, Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Snyder |first=Adam |url=https://hudsonvalleyone.com/2024/10/09/kate-pierson-will-play-14th-annual-o-festival/  |title=Kate Pierson will play 14th annual O+ Festival |publisher=Hudson Valley One |date=October 9, 2024 |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=McInerney |first=Jennifer H. |url=https://capecodandtheislandsmag.com/kates-lazy-cape/  |title=Kate's Lazy Cape |publisher=Cape Cod & The Islands Magazine |date=November 9, 2022 |access-date=October 13, 2024}}</ref> 

In a 2015 interview, Pierson stated that she identifies as [[bisexuality|bisexual]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/talk-to-al-jazeera/articles/2015/4/30/kate-pierson-talks-to-adam-may.html|work=[[Al Jazeera America]]|title=Kate Pierson Talks To Adam May|date=April 30, 2015|url-status=live|author=May, Adam|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211001011622/http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/talk-to-al-jazeera/articles/2015/4/30/kate-pierson-talks-to-adam-may.html|archive-date=October 1, 2021|access-date=October 1, 2021}}</ref>

==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)".
* [[Iggy Pop]], on the 1990 Top-30 song "[[Candy (Iggy Pop song)|Candy]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1991-02-02 |title=Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] }}</ref>
* [[R.E.M.]], on the songs "[[Shiny Happy People]]" and "[[Me in Honey]]" from the 1991 album ''[[Out of Time (album)|Out of Time]]'', and "Fretless" from the 1991 soundtrack ''[[Until the End of the World (soundtrack)|Until the End of the World]]''.
* [[Matthew Sweet]], on the 1989 album ''[[Earth (Matthew Sweet album)|Earth]]''.
* With Cindy Wilson on their cover of the [[McFadden & Whitehead]]'s song "[[Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now]]", recorded for the soundtrack ''[[The Associate (soundtrack)|The Associate]]'' in 1996.
* 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 (song)|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".
* [[Junior Senior]], on the song "Take My Time" from the 2005 album ''[[Hey Hey My My Yo Yo]]'' (with Cindy Wilson).
* [[Peter Jöback]], duet on the song "Sing" from the 2009 album ''East Side Stories''.
* [[David Byrne]] and [[Fatboy Slim]], on the song "The Whole Man" from the 2010 album ''[[Here Lies Love]]''.
* 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 (anime)|Arc the Lad]]''.
* She appeared in [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]]'s music video for "Mother".<ref>{{cite web |title=Zombies, Andy, And Lou! New Blondie Video for "Mother"… |url=http://www.cherrybombed.com/2011/05/zombies-andy-and-lou-new-blondie-video-for-mother/ |publisher=cherrybombed.com |access-date=August 25, 2011 |archive-date=December 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211173658/http://www.cherrybombed.com/2011/05/zombies-andy-and-lou-new-blondie-video-for-mother/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 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 [[Geoff Downes|Downes]] [[Chris Braide|Braide]] Association's 2017 album ''Skyscraper Souls''.
* She sang and appeared in a music video with [[Pylon Reenactment Society]], on the song "Fix It (feat. Kate Pierson)" from the 2024 album ''[[Magnet Factory]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exclusive: Pylon Reenactment Society Premieres New Track "Fix It" Featuring Kate Pierson of The B-52's|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/pylon-reenactment-society/pylon-reenactment-society-fix-it-kate-pierson/ | publisher=pastemagazine.com| access-date=August 17, 2024}}</ref>

==Albums==
{{See also|The B-52's discography}}
*2015: ''[[Guitars and Microphones]]''
*2024: ''[[Radios & Rainbows]]''

==Film and television==
* ''[[The Rugrats Movie]]'' (1998, voice only)
* ''[[The Flintstones (film)|The Flintstones]]'' (1994, as "The BC-52's")
* ''[[A Matter of Degrees]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Athens, GA: Inside/Out]]'' (1987)
* ''[[One-Trick Pony (film)|One Trick Pony]]'' (1980)
* Pierson portrayed a club owner in the ''[[Flight of the Conchords (TV series)|Flight of the Conchords]]'' episode "[[What Goes on Tour]]".
* ''[[The Adventures of Pete and Pete]]'' (1993, "What We Did on Our Summer Vacation")
* Pierson is credited alongside Fred Schneider in the [[Nickelodeon]] cartoon ''[[Rocko's Modern Life]]'' for the theme song vocals.
* Pierson, with the B-52's, appeared in an episode of the CBS soap opera ''[[Guiding Light]]'' in 1982.
* Pierson, with the B-52's, performed a parody of the song "[[Love Shack]]" titled "Glove Slap"<ref>"[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701092/soundtrack Soundtrack - E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)]", [[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]], retrieved October 18, 2011.</ref> in an episode of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' (1999, "[[E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)]]").<ref>{{cite episode |title=E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0701092 |access-date=October 18, 2011 |series=The Simpsons |series-link=The Simpsons |network=[[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] |air-date=November 7, 1999 |season=11 |number=5}}</ref>
* ''[[Phineas and Ferb]]'' (2012): performed the song "Spend Half a Day" in the episode "Perry the Actorpus".
* Pierson appears as herself in one episode of ''[[Difficult People]]'' titled "36 Candles".<ref>"[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5530918/ 36 Candles - Difficult People]", [[Internet Movie Database|IMDb]], retrieved May 6, 2022.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=0682779|name=Kate Pierson}}

{{The B-52's}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierson, Kate}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Entertainers from Rutherford, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Weehawken, New Jersey]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:Songwriters from New Jersey]]
[[Category:American rock keyboardists]]
[[Category:American sopranos]]
[[Category:American new wave musicians]]
[[Category:American women new wave singers]]
[[Category:Bisexual women musicians]]
[[Category:LGBTQ people from New Jersey]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ singers]]
[[Category:Singers from New Jersey]]
[[Category:The B-52's members]]
[[Category:Guitarists from New Jersey]]
[[Category:American women organists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American guitarists]]
[[Category:21st-century American women singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American organists]]
[[Category:21st-century American keyboardists]]
[[Category:American women keyboardists]]
[[Category:20th-century American women guitarists]]
[[Category:LGBTQ women singers]]