Song:Rumors
Album:Old School Volume 7
Here is a very fondly remembered hit from the early days of hip hop. Rumors was the only chart hit for Timex Social Club and they only recorded one album. They didn't last because Timex Watches threatened to sue. The group was led by lead singer Michael Marshall and Marcus Thompson. At first they were called The Timex Crew and other members were Greg Thomas, Craig Samuel and Darrien Cleage. All were students at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, CA. By 1985, Thomas, Samuel and Cleage were replaced by Alex Hill and Kevin Moore and the name was changed to Timex Social Club. The group got the attention of producer Jay King and he got them a record deal with Danya Records and distribution by Fantasy. Rumors reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986 and topped the black music charts. And follow up singles did well on the black music charts too. They also released the album Vicious Rumors. Rumors has been frequently sampled by hip hop guys and you can get it on this various artists comp. The end for Timex Social Club came when Timex Watches threatened to sue. Jay King started the much more successful group Club Nouveau but Marshall didn't go with him. Marshall is still around. He sang lead on the 1995 Luniz hit I Got 5 On It and he still records today. Marcus Thompson's book How Do Rumors Get Started: The True Story of Timex Social Club was published in April. I think you'll find the song holds up very well. Here's the video for Rumors by Timex Social Club.
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