The S.O.S. Band (sometimes styled S.O.S. Band; shorthand for Sounds of Success) is an American R&B and electro-funk group formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1977. The original lineup featured Mary Davis (lead vocals), Jason Bryant (keyboards), Billy Ellis and Willie “Sonny” Killebrew (horns), Bruno Speight (guitar), John Simpson (bass), and James Earl Jones III (drums).
The group rose to prominence with their platinum debut single "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1980—a post-disco, boogie-funk anthem that reached No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold. Their self-titled debut album S.O.S. also achieved gold status.
Vocalist Mary Davis departed the group in 1987 to pursue a solo career; she was later replaced by Chandra Currelley, who led vocals on the albums Diamonds in the Raw (1989) and One of Many Nights (1991).
History
The Atlanta, Georgia, band was started in 1977, when keyboardist / vocalist Jason Bryant, saxophonists Billy Ellis and Willie "Sonny" Killebrew, guitarist Bruno Speight, bassist John Alexander Simpson, drummer James Earl Jones III, and lead vocalist Mary Davis formed a group called Sounds of Santa Monica that played at Atlanta nightclub the Regal Room.
Their manager (Bunnie Jackson-Ransom) sent a demo to Clarence Avant, head of Tabu Records. After signing the band to Tabu, Avant suggested that the band work with songwriter/producer Sigidi Abdullah. Abdullah was curious as to why an Atlanta-based band named itself Santa Monica. Keyboardist Jason Bryant replied that the band had an enjoyable concert in Santa Monica, California. Abdullah then came up with a new band name, The S.O.S. Band, with S.O.S. standing for "Sounds of Success".
Jam and Lewis took over the production duties on their fourth album, On the Rise, scoring with the number two hit "Just Be Good to Me" (a song that would later be featured as the theme to Richard Pryor's stand-up film, "Here and Now", and in Grand Theft Auto IV's in-game radio, The Vibe 98.8), and the number five ballad "Tell Me If You Still Care". On the Rise became their second gold album, hitting number seven R&B in the summer of 1983. However, she has since returned to perform on select dates. In October 2021, she joined original members of the group, along with more recent members, for a performance at a Birthday celebration for original drummer James Earl Jones III.
Discography
All albums and singles listed below were issued on Tabu Records.
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Title
! rowspan="2" |Label
! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2"| Certifications
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
! width="35"| US<br>
! width="35"| US<br>R&B<br>
! width="35"| GER<br>
! width="35"| NLD<br>
! width="35"| NZ<br>
! width="35"| UK<br>
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1980
| align="left"| S.O.S.
|<small>Tabu/CBS</small>
| 12
| 2
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
- RIAA: Gold
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1981
| align="left"| Too
|<small>Tabu/CBS</small>
| 117
| 30
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1982
| align="left"| III
|<small>Tabu/CBS</small>
| 172
| 27
| —
| —
| —
| —
| align=left|
|-
| rowspan="1"| 1983
| align="left"| On the Rise
|<small>Tabu/CBS</small>
| 47
| 7
| —
| 30
| 36
| —
| align=left|
- RIAA: Gold
! width="35"| US<br>R&B<br>
! width="35"| US<br>Dan<br>
! width="35"| AUS<br>
! width="35"| CAN<br>
! width="35"| GER<br>
! width="35"| NLD<br>