Masters Of Funk, The S.O.S. Band, Midnight Star, and Con Funk Shun

Originally known as Santa Monica, the S.O.S. (sounds of success) Band formed of members Willie “Sonny” Killebrew on saxophone, Billy Ellis on flute, Jason Bryant on the keyboard, Bruno Speight on guitar, John Simpson on bass, James Earl Jones III on drums and Mary Davis on vocals. The band would perform regularly and recorded a series of demos, one of which was heard by Tabu Records who signed the group to their first recording contract.

In 1980 S.O.S. Band released their first hit single “Take Your Time (Do It Right)” written and produced by Sigidi Abdullah and Harold Clayton. The single went platinum, reached No. 1 in the R&B chart, staying there for five weeks, and debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The debut album “S.O.S.” also performed remarkably well selling over 800,000 copies and reaching No. 2 in the R&B album chart.

The band subsequently toured and welcomed the multi-instrumentalist Abdul Ra’oof to the line-up, whose recording debut with the band came on their sophomore album “Too” in 1981. S.O.S. Band’s third studio release entitled “S.O.S. Band III” came in 1982 with support from producer Terry Lewis.

After these modest successes, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis took over the production reigns for LP number four titled “On the Rise”. The album became certified gold as did its successor “Just the Way You Like It” which featured the No. 6 R&B single of the same name. The tide began to turn for the S.O.S. Band with their sixth studio album “Sands of Time” which despite reaching No. 4 in the R&B chart was the last of a string of their distinctive house music releases that made popular the Roland TR-808 drum machine.

Mary Davis announced her departure from the band in 1987 to pursue a solo career, however the band continued-on a released the albums “Diamonds in the Raw” (1989) and “One of Many Night” (1991). In 1994 Davis reunited with Abdul Ra’oof and Jason Bryant in a new band in the hopes of recreating some of the same funky sounds.

Coming together while every member was studying at the Kentucky State University, Midnight Star formed to play the parties that were being held on their university campus, and evolved to the point where they were able to start a party anywhere else in the known universe. After building up a name for themselves all over their local Kentucky scene, the band shipped up to New York City in 1978 to play a showcase for Solar Records, which predictably, they aced. The chief of Solar Records himself, Dick Griffey signed the group himself and their first album, “The Beginning” was released in 1980.

Their second album “Standing Together” was their first record to make a dent on the Billboard Chart, but it wasn't until 1983 and their huge hit album “No Parking On The Dance Floor” that they became genuine pop stars. The album's lead single “Freak-A-Zoid” was a huge hit on the R&B Charts and the album would go on to surpass the double Platinum certification. Its follow up, “Planetary Invasion”, was a similar sized hit powered by the band's only top twenty hit “Operator”, and while the band first came to an end in 1990, they got back together exactly a decade later and have been touring ever since. With nearly four decades of experience under their belt, and some of the rowdiest live shows in funk, Midnight Star come highly recommended.

Originally formed under the moniker Project Soul in 1969, in 1971, with the breakdown of a rival group, the name changed to Con Funk Shun. The band is formed of drummer Louis A. McCall Sr., lead vocalist and guitarist Michael Cooper, bassist Cedric Martin, keyboard player Danny Thomas, trumpeter Karl Fuller, woodwinds player Paul Harrell, and multi-instrumentalist Felton Pilate. Having completed the line-up Con Funk Shun moved to Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., and in 1973 were highed by Stax Records to play back-up to The Soul Children. The band subsequently toured and recorded with the Soul Children, during which time they caught the attention of Estelle Axton who signed the group to her Fretone Records label.

With label backing Con Funk Shun made their debut in 1973 with the album “Organized Con Funk Shun”. After the group’s subsequent release “The Memphis Sessions”, Con Funk Shun signed with Mercury Records in a fruitful relationship which would last over 10 years. The band’s debut releasee on the label was “Con Funk Shun” (1976), followed by the certified gold albums “Secrets” (1977), “Loveshine” (1978), and “Candy” (1979). By this point Pilate and Cooper had proved themselves as the band’s lead vocalists, and the group became known as a staple fun-loving R&B/funk band.

Subsequent Mercury-issued albums were 1980’s “Spirit of Love” and “Touch”, 1981’s “7”, 1982’s “To the Max”, 1983’s “Fever”, 1985’s “Electric Lady”, and 1986’s “Burnin’ Love”. Over this period Con Funk Shun released over 20 singles, all of which charted respectively on the Billboard R&B chart, with notably the singles “Chase Me”, “Got To Be Enough”, “Too Tight”, and “Ffun” charting within the Top 10. Both Felton Pilate and Michael Cooper left the group after their contract with Mercury ended, however the band returned in the ‘90s, and continue to play shows and festivals into the 21st century.