R.E.M. were an alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, United States in 1980. The band originally consisted of
Michael Stipe (vocals),
Peter Buck (guitar, mandolin),
Mike Mills (bass, keyboards, vocals) and
Bill Berry (drums). Berry retired from the band in October 1997 after having suffered a brain aneurysm in 1995. R.E.M. released its first single, "Radio Free Europe", in 1981 on the independent record label Hib-Tone.