Timex Social Club is an American R&B group, formed in 1985 and best known for the 1986 hit single "

Rumors A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; see spelling differences; derived from Latin:rumorem - noise), is "a tall tale of explanations of events circulating from person to person and pertaining to an object, event, or issue in p ...

History

Originally known as the Timex Crew, members included Marcus Thompson (founder), Gregory "Greg B" Thomas, Michael Marshall, Craig Samuel, and Darrien Cleage. By 1986, Samuel, Cleage, and Thomas had departed, Alex Hill and Kevin Moore were added, and the name Timex Social Club was adopted (despite the group's name,

Timex Group USA Timex Group USA, Inc. (formerly known as Timex Corporation) is an American global watch manufacturing company founded in 1854 as the Waterbury Clock Company in Waterbury, Connecticut. In 1944, the company became insolvent but was reformed into ...

bears no sponsorship of the group). Later in 1986, Ocea Savage was added on keyboards and background vocals. They fused funk and urban R&B with Washington

go-go Go-go is a subgenre of funk music with an emphasis on specific rhythmic patterns, and live audience call and response. Go-go was originated by African-American musicians in the Washington, D.C. area during the mid-60s to late-70s. Go-go has lim ...

beat. In 1986, the group released the '' Vicious Rumors'' album on Danya/Fantasy Records (A&M in Canada; Mercury in Germany). Its one major hit, "

", written by Marshall, Thompson, and Hill, peaked at #8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, #13 in the UK, and No. 1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' R&B,

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as ...

, and Hot Dance/Disco-12 inch Singles-Sales charts. The two follow-up singles, " Thinkin' About Ya" and "Mixed-Up World", reached the R&B Top 20.

Tour

The success of the single "Rumors", prompted hip hop impresario

Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. Simmons ...

to hire the group as the opening act for 38 dates on

Run DMC Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history ...

's Raising Hell tour in 1986. Other acts on the tour were Beastie Boys,

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

, and

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; Ju ...

. Besides solo dates, the group also opened for

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 19 ...

, Midnight Star, the S.O.S. Band,

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/ funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West ...

, and

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jacks ...

Split

Timex Social Club disbanded shortly after the success of "Rumors". The band's producer Jay King, Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy formed

Club Nouveau Club Nouveau is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name (French for "New Club") was changed from its original incar ...

, whose first single was "Jealousy", an

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record, is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer so ...

to "Rumors" that references Timex Social Club's split. Club Nouveau subsequently had a #1 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit in 1987 with a go-go cover of

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (1972) ...

's " Lean on Me".

Revival

As of 2011, the current Timex Social Club roster consisted of founding member Marcus Thompson as DJ and Samuelle Prater on vocals.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Timex Social Club African-American musical groups American contemporary R&B musical groups American soul musical groups American boogie musicians New jack swing music groups Fantasy Records artists Music of California Musical groups established in 1985 A&M Records artists Mercury Records artists 1985 establishments in California Musical groups from Berkeley, California