Band Research

Band Research R.E.M.

Founded in Athens, Georgia in 1980, R.E.M. was one of the most influential rock bands of the '80s and early '90s, credited with helping to bring alternative bands into the mainstream of pop music. Known for their folk like rock and inscrutable lyrics, the band members are vocalist Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Michael Mills and drummer Bill Berry. Their first LP, Murmur, was hailed by critics as one of the best rock records of 1983 and included the college radio hit "Radio Free Europe," establishing a pattern for their career. Their audience continued to grow, their albums began to produce hits and they toured the United States, finally breaking through to mainstream audiences with the albums Life's Rich Pageant (1986) and Document (1987). By the '90s they were mega-stars on radio and MTV, and Stipe especially became a pop celebrity. Berry retired from the group in 1997, but the band continued to record and perform and rock critics continue to praise on their work. Some of their hits include "The One I Love" (1987), "Orange Crush" (1988) and the Grammy-winning "Losing My Religion" (1991).