The SOS Band

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The SOS Band
Also known as	Santa Monica
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre(s)	R&B, disco
Years active	1977–present
Label(s)	Tabu
Members
Mary Davis Abdul Ra'oof Jason Bryant
Former members
Billy Ellis James Earl Jones III Willie "Sonny" Killebrew John Simpson Bruno Speight Chandra Currelley
Notable instrument(s)
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 does not stand for Save Our Souls but for Sounds of Success.

The band, fronted by Mary Davis, was initially famous for the Disco hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1980. In 1983, they joined forces with then-new production team Jimmy Jam & 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 remixed 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 bassline to The Clash's "Guns of Brixton". It was also covered by Shayne Ward for his album "Breathless". Also, the song "Tell Me If You Still Care" was covered in 1995 by fellow Atlanta native Monica for her debut album Miss Thang; as well as sampled by Janet Jackson in her hit, "Call On Me". Bingoboys performed a cover of "Borrowed Love" as the follow-up single to their 1991 dance hit "How To Dance".

Lead vocalist Mary Davis left the group in the late 80s 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 plays and films.

Contents 1 Discography 1.1 Albums 1.2 Singles 2 See also

[edit] Discography

All of the albums and singles listed below were issued on Tabu Records.

[edit] Albums

• 1980: S.O.S. - US #12, R&B #2
• 1981: Too - US #117, R&B #30
• 1982: S.O.S. Band III - US #172, R&B #27
• 1983: On the Rise - US #47, R&B #11
• 1984: Just the Way You Like It - US #60, R&B #6
• 1986: Sands of Time - US #44, R&B #4
• 1989: Diamonds in the Raw - US #194, R&B #43
• 1991: One of Many Nights
• 1995: The Best Of The S.O.S. Band - US #185, R&B #27
• 2004: Greatest Hits - R&B #62

[edit] Singles

Year	Song	UK singles	US Hot 100	U.S. R&B	Album
1980	"Take Your Time (Do It Right)"	51	3	1	S.O.S.
1980	"S.O.S.(Dit Dit Dit Dash Dash Dash Dit Dit Dit)"	-	-	20	S.O.S.
1980	"What's Wrong With Our Love Affair?"	-	-	87	S.O.S.
1981	"Do It Now"	-	-	15	Too
1981	"You"	-	-	64	Too
1982	"High Hopes"	-	-	25	S.O.S. Band III
1983	"Have It Your Way"	-	-	49	S.O.S. Band III
1983	"Groovin' (That's What We're Doin')"	72	-	47	S.O.S. Band III
1983	"Just Be Good To Me"	13	55	2	On the Rise
1983	"Tell Me If You Still Care"	-	65	5	On the Rise
1984	"For Your Love"	-	-	34	On the Rise
1984	"Just The Way You Like It"	32	64	6	Just the Way You Like It
1984	"No One's Gonna Love You"	13	-	10	Just the Way You Like It
1985	"Weekend Girl"	51	-	40	Just the Way You Like It
1986	"Borrowed Love"	50	-	14	Sands of Time
1986	"Even When You Sleep"	-	-	34	Sands of Time
1986	"The Finest" (with Alexander O'Neal)	17	44	2	Sands of Time
1987	"No Lies"	64	-	43	Sands of Time
1989	"I'm Still Missing Your Love"	-	-	7	Diamonds in the Raw
1989	"Sands of Time"	20	-
1990	"Secret Wish"	-	-	38	Diamonds in the Raw
1991	"Sometimes I Wonder"	-	-	12	One of Many Nights

[edit] See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart