The SOS Band
| The S.O.S. Band | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Santa Monica |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Disco R&B Boogie Urban |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Tabu Records |
| Associated acts | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Alexander O'Neal Cherrelle |
| 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 |
| Notable instruments | |
| Roland TR-808 | |
The SOS Band is an American musical ensemble, founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. Originally known as Santa Monica, the SOS initialism in the band's name stands for Sounds of Success.
History
The band, fronted by Mary Davis, was initially famous for the hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1980. In 1983, they 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, including "Just Be Good to Me", "Tell Me If You Still Care", "Borrowed Love", "No One's Gonna Love You", "Just the Way You Like It" and "The Finest".
The Jam-Lewis-produced SOS Band hits are notable for popularizing the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine (and its distinctive cowbell sound) in popular music. The group continues to tour and perform to this day.
The song "Just Be Good to Me" was covered in 1990 by Beats International (aka Norman Cook or Fatboy Slim); the resultant song made its way to UK number one single as "Dub Be Good to Me". The song was reworked with the bass line of The Clash's "Guns of Brixton". It was also covered by Shayne Ward on his 2007 album, Breathless. The song "Tell Me If You Still Care" was covered in 1995 by fellow Atlanta native Monica on her debut album Miss Thang and sampled by Janet Jackson in her 2006 hit Call On Me. The Bingoboys performed a cover of "Borrowed Love" as the follow-up single to their 1991 dance hit "How to Dance". In 1996 the instrumental track of "No One's Gonna Love You" was used by Maxwell on a remix of his hit "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)" aptly retitled "Ascension (No One's Gonna Love You, So Don't Ever Wonder): The Tribute".
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. More recently, Currelley has been active as an actress and vocalist in Tyler Perry plays and films. When Davis’s solo career was not as successful as she hoped, she eventually reunited with the band in 1994.
Discography
All albums and singles listed below were issued on Tabu Records.
Studio albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [1] |
US R&B [1] |
GER [2] |
NLD [3] |
NZ [4] |
NOR [5] |
SWE [6] |
UK [7] |
|||
| 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 releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [1] |
US R&B [1] |
NLD [3] |
||
| 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 releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US R&B [9] |
US Dan [9] |
AUS [10] |
BEL [11] |
CAN [12] |
GER [2] |
IRE [13] |
NLD [3] |
NZ [4] |
NOR [5] |
SWE [6] |
UK [7] |
||
| 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 My Way" | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Groovin' (That's What We're Doin')" | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 72 | |
| "Just Be Good to Me" | 55 | 2 | 3 | 17 | — | — | — | 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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||||||
References
- ^ a b c d "US Albums Charts > The SOS Band". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ^ a b "GER Charts > The SOS Band". Media Control Charts. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b c "NL Charts > The SOS Band". MegaCharts. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b "NZ Charts > The SOS Band". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b "NOR Charts > The SOS Band". VG-lista. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
- ^ a b "SWE Charts > The SOS Band". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2012-05-16.
- ^ a b "UK Charts > The SOS Band". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2009-08-24.
- ^ a b c "US Certifications > The SOS Band". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ a b c "US Singles Charts > The SOS Band". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-12-09.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Charts Book 1970—1992. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "BEL Charts > The SOS Band". VRT Top 30. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
- ^ "CAN Charts > The SOS Band". RPM. Retrieved 2012-05-13.
- ^ "IRE Charts Search > The SOS Band". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 2012-05-05.
External links
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