R.E.M.

Rock band R.E.M. emerged from the burgeoning D.I.Y. music scene in Athens, Georgia in 1980 and over the last 24 years have become one of the most successful and influential bands not only in America, but throughout the world. The praise of fans and critics alike are reflected in the band's numerous awards, including Grammys, MTV's VMAs, and sales of over 45 million records. Despite their commercial success, however, the band has developed a reputation for following their own instincts and not bowing to commercial trends.

R.E.M. played their first show in April 1980 when singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry got together for a friend's birthday party at an abandoned Church which also served as the band's residence. Although they didn't yet have a name that night, they quickly settled on R.E.M. and rapidly emerged as a local favorite in a rich musical community which produced such legends the B-52's, Pylon, and Love Tractor. R.E.M. signed to IRS Records in 1982 and after aggressively touring in support of their Chronic Town EP, the band recorded their first full-length record, Murmur, in 1983. It was hailed as an instant classic and Rolling Stone Magazine's readers voted Murmur .1 in their annual year-end poll. And, just like that, R.E.M. became an underground sensation and a pioneer in the college radio movement.

Over the next four years, R.E.M. released four more albums on IRS, finishing their contract with 1987's Document, which produced the band's first Top Ten hit, The One I Love. R.E.M. was quickly shedding the "underground college band" label, and became known as an innovator and leader of the alternative rock scene. In 1988, R.E.M. signed with Warner Bros. Records, whose wide distribution allowed R.E.M.'s music to reach the far corners of the world. And where the music played, the band followed, as 1989's Green World Tour showcased the band's live show on a global scale. In 1991, Out of Time, brought R.E.M. their first .1 album and featured the single, Losing My Religion.Throughout the '90's the band released three more platinum records, including Automatic for the People, Monster, and New Adventures in Hi-Fi.