R.E.M. is considered one of the most influential music groups of the past two decades, inspiring an entire generation of American "alternative" rock bands with their twangy guitar sound, grassroots support and independent work ethic.

Since forming in the early '80s in Athens, Georgia, the down-to-earth group has sold tens of millions of albums worldwide, evolving from small clubs and college radio to packed arenas and MTV, all without substantially compromising their artistic direction.

R.E.M. brought the do-it-yourself, uncommercial spirit of punk to more traditional rock music, rising from the underground to the big time through hard work and consistent songwriting rather than media hype and lucky hit singles. At a time when most new bands were based around synthesizers and flashy clothes, R.E.M. relied upon simple musicianship to win over fans, a few at a time.

The roots of R.E.M. extend back to the college town of Athens, Georgia in 1979, where University of Georgia student and record collector Michael Stipe (vocals) met record store clerk Peter Buck (guitar); the pair became roommates and soon formed a band with fellow students Mike Mills (bass) and Bill Berry (drums), who had been jamming together since high school. After performing an April 1980 show/party at Stipe and Buck's abandoned church apartment, the group settled on the name R.E.M. and began playing at local bars, including the now-famous 40 Watt Club, which was to become their home base. Over the next two years the group expanded their following, going on short tours of the Southeast, building up a loyal hometown audience, and recording some material, including the single "Radio Free Europe," which received significant college airplay.

In May 1982 R.E.M. signed to the small indie label I.R.S. Records, who released their already-completed EP "Chronic Town," later that year; like "Radio Free Europe," the EP generated an underground buzz. Dropping out of school, the group began touring more often and recorded their first full-length in December of that year. "Murmur," as their debut album was eventually titled, was released in April 1983. With mumbled, enigmatic lyrics, soft acoustic guitar and sparse production, "Murmur" defied the mainstream, winning critical praise and college airplay but little commercial success.

After spending some more time on the road, R.E.M. returned in April 1984 with "Reckoning," a rougher sounding release that spawned the college rock near-hit "So. Central Rain," but once again escaped the mainstream. With the release of 1985's "Fables of the Reconstruction," R.E.M. was clearly on the upswing - numerous new bands adopted a similar sound and anti-commercial attitude, and "Fables" itself sold several hundred thousand copies with little radio play.

Now under the pressure of constant touring to support their albums, the future of the group looked grim, but somehow the band resolved their differences, becoming a more cohesive unit. In 1986 the quartet, tighter than ever, produced "Life's Rich Pageant," which contained their most accessible song to date, "Fall On Me." Despite anticipation that the hooky single would finally "break" R.E.M. to the masses, the group remained in college rock territory, though the album went gold.

Instead, their big breakthrough came with their next album, 1987's politically inclined "Document," produced by Scott Litt, who went on to work with R.E.M. for the next 10 years. "Document" reached the Top 10 and went platinum thanks to the hit single "The One I Love," which enjoyed significant commercial radio play and heavy rotation on MTV. Meanwhile I.R.S. released the B-sides collection "Dead Letter Office," which also contained a reissue of their now-famous "Chronic Town" EP.

In 1988 R.E.M. surprised fans by signing a multi-million dollar contract with major label Warner Bros., who released their next album, "Green," in 1988. With hit singles "Stand" and "Pop Song 89" frequently played on the radio, R.E.M. was finally a household name and "Green" went multi-platinum. R.E.M.'s famous 1989 world tour saw the group playing to huge audiences in North America and packing clubs in Australia, Japan and Europe.

R.E.M.'s stature only grew with the release of 1991's "Out of Time," which went to No. 1 in both the U.S. and Britain on the strength of the Top 10 singles "Losing My Religion" and "Shiny Happy People." The album sold nearly five million copies and won several Grammy awards. Singer Stipe, now clearly the group's spokesman, became increasingly public about his political views; in one infamous stunt he appeared on the MTV Music Awards wearing a succession of T-shirts with left-leaning slogans. R.E.M. was now a superstar group, one of the leaders of the commercial "alternative" rock boom.

Almost as a reaction to the mass-market success of "Out of Time," R.E.M.'s next album, 1992's "Automatic For the People" (the slogan of an Athens-area diner), was decidedly less commercial, dominated by dark, under-produced, introspective songs instead of polished pop singles like "Shiny Happy People." This uncompromising artistic move earned the group more respect and admiration in rock circles, winning over new fans and pleasing old fans who were worried the group would "sell out." As different as "Automatic For the People" was from "Out of Time," it still produced the radio/MTV singles "Everybody Hurts," "Drive" and "Man on the Moon."

R.E.M. changed directions yet again with 1994's "Monster," a more edgy, rock-oriented effort than previous albums, reportedly Stipe's reaction to the death of his close friend Kurt Cobain. "Monster" debuted at No. 1 and the singles "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" and "Star 69" maintained R.E.M.'s status as one of the most popular alt-rock bands of the '90s. Unfortunately the accompanying tour, the group's first in more than five years, was plagued by medical problems: Bill Berry nearly died of an aneurysm in Switzerland, Michael Stipe suffered a hernia and Mike Mills underwent surgery for stomach problems. Despite these setbacks, the band pressed on, playing at sold-out stadiums worldwide.

At the end of the tour, Stipe branched out into independent film, while Peter Buck performed with the groups Tuatara and the Minus Five; Buck also produced albums for several roots-rock bands. After re-signing to Warner Bros. for an estimated $80 million, the group returned in 1996 with "New Adventures in Hi-Fi", a collection of new songs recorded live at soundchecks on the "Monster" tour.

In the fall of 1997, after 17 years with R.E.M., drummer Bill Berry announced that he was retiring from the band to spend more time with his family on his farm in Georgia. The announcement came just as the band was entering the studio to start recording their 11th studio album.

"Up," a collection of old-school R.E.M. rock ballads, was produced by Pat McCarthy and released in late October 1998. Two years later, the band spent a month in a Vancouver recording studio working on the new material which would appear on their twelfth album, "Reveal," released in May 2001.

R.E.M. members are --

• Peter Buck - guitar
• Mike Mills - bass
• Michael Stipe - vocals

Notable songs include --

• So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry)
• Driver 8
• Man on the Moon
• It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
• Everybody Hurts
• (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
• Radio Free Europe
• Fall on Me
• One I Love
• Losing My Religion

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