The S.O.S. Band
The S.O.S. Band (sometimes written SOS Band; abbreviation for Sounds Of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs "Take Your Time (Do It Right)," "Just Be Good to Me," "Tell Me If You Still Care," and "The Finest."
The S.O.S. Band | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Santa Monica |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Tabu |
| Associated acts | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Alexander O'Neal Cherrelle Kurupt |
| Members | Mary Davis Abdul Ra'oof Jason Bryant |
| Past members | Billy Ellis James Earl Jones III Willie "Sonny" Killebrew John Simpson Bruno Speight Chandra Currelley |
History
The band was founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. The original group members included Willie "Sonny" Killebrew (saxophone), Billy Ellis (flute), Jason "T.C." Bryant (keyboards), Bruno Speight (guitar), John Simpson (bass), James Earl Jones III (drums), and Mary Davis (lead vocals, keyboards).[1][2] It was originally known as Santa Monica,[1] but later changed its name to The S.O.S. Band- an acronym for Sounds of Success.[1][2][3] After listening to its demo and being impressed with their sound, Tabu Records founder Clarence Avant signed the group to its first recording contract.[1]
In 1980, the group released its first hit single, "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", which was certified platinum and sold over 2 million copies. Its debut album, S.O.S., went gold and sold over 800,000 copies. Trumpeter, vocalist, and percussionist Abdul Ra'oof joined the band while it was on a world tour.[2]
In 1983, the band joined forces with then-new production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who went on to craft a string of R&B hits for the group, which included "Just Be Good to Me," "High Hopes," "Tell Me If You Still Care," "Borrowed Love," "No One's Gonna Love You," "Just the Way You Like It," and "The Finest."[2]
Lead vocalist Mary Davis left the group in 1987 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Chandra Currelley beginning with the band's 1989 Diamonds in the Raw album.[1][2] They recorded another album with Currelley - 1991's One of Many Nights, which featured a few songs with a guest appearance from a then-unknown Kurupt.[4]
More recently, Currelley has been active as an actress and vocalist in Tyler Perry plays and movies.[5] When Davis’s solo career was not as successful as she hoped, she reunited with the band in 1994. Since then, Davis spilt from the remaining members of The S.O.S. Band, with Davis and Speight both touring using the band's name with their versions of the current lineup.[3]
In 2013, The S.O.S. Band's entire Tabu Records catalog was reissued, as Tabu licensed their brand and trademark to British-based record label Demon Music Group.[6]
Discography
All albums and singles listed below were issued on Tabu Records.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
GER [8] |
NLD [9] |
NZ [10] |
NOR [11] |
SWE [12] |
UK [13] | |||||||
| 1980 | S.O.S. | 12 | 2 | — | — | — | 34 | — | — |
| ||||
| 1981 | Too | 117 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1982 | III | 172 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1983 | On the Rise | 47 | 7 | — | 30 | 36 | — | — | — |
| ||||
| 1984 | Just the Way You Like It | 60 | 6 | 44 | 33 | — | — | — | 29 | |||||
| 1986 | Sands of Time | 44 | 4 | 20 | 38 | 36 | — | 35 | 15 |
| ||||
| 1989 | Diamonds in the Raw | 194 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| 1991 | One of Many Nights | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [7] |
US R&B [7] |
NLD [9] | ||||||||||||
| 1987 | 1980-1987: The Hit Mixes | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1990 | The Very Best Of (1980 - 1990: A Decade of Dance Hits) | — | — | 26 | ||||||||||
| 1995 | The Best of the S.O.S. Band | 185 | 27 | — | ||||||||||
| 2004 | Greatest Hits | — | 62 | — | ||||||||||
| 2011 | Icon | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [15] |
US R&B [15] |
US Dan [15] |
AUS [16] |
BEL [17] |
CAN [18] |
GER [8] |
IRE [19] |
NLD [9] |
NZ [10] |
NOR [11] |
SWE [12] |
UK [13] | ||
| 1980 | "Take Your Time (Do It Right) (Part 1)" | 3 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 19 | 27 | 40 | — | 26 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 51 |
| "S.O.S. (Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)" | — | 20 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | "What's Wrong with Our Love Affair?" | — | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Do It Now (Part 1)" | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "You" | — | 64 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "High Hopes" | — | 25 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1983 | "Have It Your Way" | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Groovin' (That's What We're Doin')" | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 72 | |
| "Just Be Good to Me" | 55 | 2 | 3 | 17 | 29 | — | — | 21 | 22 | 10 | — | — | 13 | |
| "Tell Me If You Still Care" | 65 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | — | — | — | 81 | |
| 1984 | "For Your Love" | — | 34 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Just the Way You Like It" | 64 | 6 | 26 | — | — | — | 34 | — | 42 | 50 | — | — | 32 | |
| "No One's Gonna Love You" | 102 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1985 | "Weekend Girl" | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 51 |
| "Break Up" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | "The Finest" | 44 | 2 | 8 | — | 20 | — | 26 | 28 | 34 | 13 | — | — | 17 |
| "Borrowed Love" | — | 14 | 26 | — | 25 | — | 37 | — | 22 | — | — | — | 50 | |
| "Even When You Sleep" | — | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1987 | "No Lies" | — | 43 | 2 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 64 |
| 1988 | "The Official Bootleg Mega-Mix" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1989 | "I'm Still Missing Your Love" | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990 | "Secret Wish" | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Do You Love Me?" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1991 | "Sometimes I Wonder" | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Broken Promises" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | "Just Get Ready" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The S.O.S. Band - Bio". artistecard.com. artistecard.com. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "The Evolution Of The SOS Band". bet.com. Black Entertainment Television. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lindsey, Craig D. "S.O.S. Band brings the funk to Raleigh". newsobserver.com. News Observer. Retrieved 2015-02-14.[dead link]
- ↑ Weinstein, Max. "The Definition: Kurupt's 20 Best Guest Verses Ever". watchloud.com. Watch Loud. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ↑ Townes, Khalif. "Interview: Chandra Currelley-Young Talks "Madea Gets A Job" Stageplay, Working w/ Tyler Perry, & Future Projects". ugospel.com. uGospel. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ↑ "The S.O.S. Band". demonmusicgroup.co.uk. Demon Music Group. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 "US Albums Charts > The S.O.S. Band". Billboard. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p121296. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "GER Charts > The S.O.S. Band". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "NL Charts > The S.O.S. Band". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "NZ Charts > The S.O.S. Band". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 2014-08-26. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "NOR Charts > The S.O.S. Band". VG-lista. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "SWE Charts > The S.O.S. Band". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "UK Charts > The S.O.S. Band". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "US Certifications > The S.O.S. Band". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-05-05.[dead link]
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "US Singles Charts > The S.O.S. Band". Billboard. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p121296. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 978-0-646-11917-5.
- ↑ "BEL Charts > The S.O.S. Band". VRT Top 30. Archived from the original on 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ↑ "CAN Charts > The S.O.S. Band". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=ocv31cubjsh5l1e3bukj3tl923&q1=The+S.O.S.+Band&q2=&interval=20. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ↑ "IRE Charts Search > The S.O.S. Band". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2012-05-05.