S.O.S. Band
The S.O.S. Band, which stands for "The Sounds Of Success", first formed in Atlanta, GA, in 1977. The members of the group were Mary Davis, Jason Bryant, Bruno Speight, Abdul Ra'oof, Billy Ellis, Willie "Sonny" Killebrew, John Alexander Simpson, and James Earl Jones, III. In 1980, The S.O.S. Band signed with Tabu Records and met with songwriter and producer Sigidi Abdullah. Their first debut LP entitled "S.O.S." featured the smash two million selling hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)". Other singles that charted well were "S.O.S." and "What's Wrong With Our Love Affair". The LP went gold selling over 800,000 copies and holding on to the number two spot on the R&B charts for three weeks. In 1981, Their Second album entitled "Too" went to number 30 in the summer of 1981. In 1982 "S.O.S. III" was released in the fall and charted to number 27 with the help of new producers Leon F. Sylvers III, Terry Lewis, and The Time's Jimmy Jam. They had a hit single entitled "High Hopes". In 1983 "On The Rise" charted at number 7 with hits like "Just Be Good To Me" and "Tell Me If You Still Care". One Year Later in 1984 "Just The Way You Like It" charted to Number 6 in R&B with the hits "No One's Gonna Love You", "Just The Way You Like It", and "Weekend Girl". Two Years Later in 1986 "Sands Of Time" hit Number 4 with the hits "Sands Of Time", "Borrowed Love", "The Finest", "Even When You Sleep", and "No Lies". In 1989, After Mary Davis left the group and to pursue her solo career, the band released a low quality LP "Diamonds In The Raw" which only made it to Number 43 on the R&B charts in the fall of 1989. - Lonnie B. Booker, Jr. ( bookerlonnie@sbcglobal.net )