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Formed in 1974 at the Rhode Island School of Design, the band first consisted of three members: David Byrne (vocals, guitar), Chris Frantz ( drums), and Tina Weymouth ( bass). The group settled on the name 'Talking Heads' from an issue of TV Guide; the term refers to programmes which consist entirely of dialogue, delivered by presenters filmed from the shoulders up. 'All content, no action' seemed to fit the band's musical style and stage presence so the name stuck.

Moving to New York the nascent Heads landed a gig, opening for The Ramones at the legendary CBGBCBGB also CBGB's or CB's is a legendary club in the Manhattan Bowery district of New York City, New York. The full name is CBGB OMFUG which stands for " Country, Bluegrass, and Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers". In the mid 1970s, the clubs club. In 19761976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). Events January January 12 UN Security Council votes 11-1 to admit the Palestinian Liberation Organization January 15 Would-be Gerald Ford presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore is s, they added one more member, Jerry HarrisonJerry Harrison (born February 21, 1949) is the keyboardist of the influential New Wave group Talking Heads. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he played with Jonathan Richman in the Modern Lovers, first in Boston, then in Berkeley, California. Harrison was the ( keyboardA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played with a musical keyboard. Keyboard instruments can be wind instruments, string instruments, percussion instruments, or electronic instruments. The most popular keyboard instruments are probably the pianos and guitar), formerly of Jonathan RichmanSee also Jonathan Richman (disambiguation Jonathan Richman (born May 15, 1951) is an American proto-punk icon and one of the progenitors of " indie rock. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Jonathan Richman began playing music and writing his own songs in the's band The Modern LoversLed by Jonathan Richman, the protopunk band The Modern Lovers came out of Massachusetts in the early 1970s. Their classic debut album contained heartfelt songs about dating awkwardness, growing up in Massachusetts, and love for life. Many feel their best. The group quickly drew a following and was signed to Sire RecordsSire Records is an American record label. It was founded in 1966 by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer. Sire joined the Warner Music Group in 1976. Stein left to head Elektra Records, but returned in 1998. In 2000 the label merged with London Records to in 1977For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). Events January 1 First woman Episcopal priest ordained January 6 EMI sacks the Sex Pistols January 18 Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious " legionnaire's disease" Januar. Their first album, Talking Heads '77 was released soon afterward. Combining a taut rhythm section with David Byrne's signature neurotic vocals, '77 was a potent slab of art-punk virtuosity that, despite poor sales, instantly endeared the band to the more experimental elements in New York's burgeoning punk scene.

It was with their second album, 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food that the band began its long-term collaboration with Brian Eno, one-time keyboard player for Roxy Music, latterly famous for his experimental, ambient art-pop and for producing several respected albums for David Bowie. As producer, Eno became a virtual fifth member of the band for the first part of their career. Eno's unusual style meshed well with the group's artistic sensibilities, and they gained the confidence to explore in a wide variety of musical directions. Though the first album's "Psycho Killer" had been a minor hit, it was this album's cover of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" that broke Talking Heads into general public consciousness.

The experimentation continued with 1979's Fear of Music, featuring "Life During Wartime" and 1980's Remain in Light, both of which flirted with the darker stylings of post punk rock. The single from the latter, "Once in a Lifetime", failed to make an impression upon its release, but grew into a popular standard over the next few years on the back of its music video, one of the first signs of the power music videos would exert during the 1980s.

After releasing four albums in barely four years, the group then spent nearly three more before releasing another. In the meantime they released a live album The Name of this Band is Talking Heads and parted ways with Brian Eno, who went on to successfully produce U2.

1983 saw the release of Speaking in Tongues, a commercial breakthrough that produced the band's first American Top 10 hit, "Burning Down the House". Once again, a striking video was inescapable during the song's run. The following tour was documented in Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense, which generated another live album of the same name.

Two more albums followed, 1985's Little Creatures and 1988's Naked. Both were poppier and more accessible, without discarding the group's characteristic quirky thoughtfulness. During that time, however, the group was falling more and more under David Byrne's sway, and after Naked the band went on "hiatus". It took until 1991 for an official announcement to be made that Talking Heads had broken up.

A brief reunion occurred in 1992 for "Sax and Violins", an original single that appeared on the soundtrack to Wim Wenders' Until the End of the World. Frustrated by David Byrne's lack of interest in another album, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison also reunited without him for a one-off album called No Talking, Just Head under the name "The Heads" in 1996.

Byrne has gone on to become a "rock icon" in recent years (using Pete Townshend's definition of the term: "It means no one buys your records any more"), while Harrison has become a producer of some note--his resumé includes the Fine Young Cannibals' The Raw and the Cooked, Live's Throwing Copper, and No Doubt's Return of Saturn. Frantz and Weymouth had been recording on the side as Tom Tom Club since 1981, their debut album selling almost as well as Talking Heads themselves. They achieved several pop/rap hits under that name, particularly in the UK; their single Genius of Love was sampled on Mariah Carey's 1995 hit Fantasy. In 2000- 2001 they returned to the upper regions of the charts in the UK and North America as members of the dance/hip-hop collective Gorillaz.

Talking Heads' body of work has been extremely influential, with bands as wide-ranging as Radiohead and the Red Hot Chili Peppers acknowledging them among their roots.

The band played together one last time on March 18, 2002 at the ceremony of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.