R.E.M. Breaks Up After Thirty Years

R.E.M

Sad news for the World of music today – the band R.E.M. has announced they are breaking up after 30 years of nonstop music.

R.E.M. brought us “Man on the Moon”, “Everybody hurts”, “It’s the end of the World as we know it”, “Losing my religion”, and countless others.

The group made the announcement on their official R.E.M. web site today saying,

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."

The band was created in 1980 in Athens Georgia and consisted of lead singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry.

The band released 15 albums during their run with their last being “Collapse into now” that was released in 2011.



Michael Stipe, the bands creator, said,

"A wise man once said - the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave. We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it. I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way. We have to thank all the people who helped us be R.E.M. for these 31 years; our deepest gratitude to those who allowed us to do this. It's been amazing."

Not a bad run for a group of friends who started out as humble musicians touring the country in an old beat up tour bus with a van or two following behind them carrying their equipment.

Thanks for the ride R.E.M. you music will live on forever.

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