SOS Allstars
Encyclopedia
The SOS Allstars were a one time supergroup
that performed at the 2007 Live Earth Concert in London
, England
. It consisted of three lead drummers and around 40 supporting drummers representing many drumming styles from around the world, including The Dhol Foundation, Taiko
drummers, and a drum corps from Shotts
. The performance was musically directed by session drummer Andy Gangadeen. The lead drummers were: Roger Taylor
of Queen
, Chad Smith
of Red Hot Chili Peppers
, and Taylor Hawkins
of Foo Fighters
.
The group performed a purely percussive track written for the event by Roger Taylor
with SOS
in Morse code
being the prime motif, and finishing with the drum solo from Queen's
We Will Rock You
to open the Live Earth show in London. This is the only known collaboration among these three drummers in a live setting.
An original plan to walk a group of Indian drummers through the audience (to warm them up) before the show was canceled at short notice on safety grounds due to the high-velocity hooked drum beaters.
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
that performed at the 2007 Live Earth Concert in London
Live Earth concert, London
The Live Earth concert in the United Kingdom was held at Wembley Stadium, London, England on 7 July 2007.-Running order:In order of appearance :...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It consisted of three lead drummers and around 40 supporting drummers representing many drumming styles from around the world, including The Dhol Foundation, Taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drummers, and a drum corps from Shotts
Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band
The House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band, also known as Shotts and Dykehead or simply "Shotts", is a grade one pipe band from Shotts, in the North Lanarkshire region of Scotland...
. The performance was musically directed by session drummer Andy Gangadeen. The lead drummers were: Roger Taylor
Roger Meddows-Taylor
Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...
of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, Chad Smith
Chad Smith
Chad Smith is an American musician, best known as the longtime and current drummer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Smith is also the drummer of the hard rock supergroup Chickenfoot which includes Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, and Michael Anthony, former Deep Purple vocalist Glenn Hughes' backing band and...
of Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, and Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters....
of Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
.
The group performed a purely percussive track written for the event by Roger Taylor
Roger Meddows-Taylor
Roger Meddows Taylor , known as Roger Taylor, is a British musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Queen. As a drummer he is known for his "big" unique sound and is considered one of...
with SOS
SOS
SOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...
in Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
being the prime motif, and finishing with the drum solo from Queen's
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
We Will Rock You
We Will Rock You
"We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded and performed by Queen for their 1977 album News of the World. Rolling Stone ranked it #330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and the RIAA placed it at #146 on its list of Songs of the Century...
to open the Live Earth show in London. This is the only known collaboration among these three drummers in a live setting.
An original plan to walk a group of Indian drummers through the audience (to warm them up) before the show was canceled at short notice on safety grounds due to the high-velocity hooked drum beaters.