The Orange County Supertones (a.k.a. The O.C. Supertones a.k.a. The Supertones) were a Christian ska band hailing from Orange County, California.
The band was signed to Tooth & Nail Records before becoming an independent band for its final tour. The band was the first widely known Christian ska group. The band began in the early 1990s as Saved.
Originally formed by Matt Morginsky, Jason Carson and Tony Terusa while in Junior High School, the band played a mix of many styles including punk, rap, metal, disco, and funk.
In 1995 they formed as The Orange County Supertones and settled on a ska based sound, similar to Operation Ivy or Mike Park's Skankin' Pickle.
In the late 1990s The Supertones achieved wide popularity in the Christan Rock community. Their second album, 1997's release Supertones Strike Back, was a surprise smash hit, peaking on both Billboard's Heatseekers and Top Christian Albums charts at 3 and 2 respectively. Beginning with a more traditional ska sound, The Supertones moved next to a harder rock sound, which eventually changed again with more of a pop-rock influence. Their next two albums, 1999's Chase the Sun and 2000's Loud and Clear, each charted on the Billboard 200 chart. They continued to release albums until 2005, when they announced plans to break up.
The band released Unite, a greatest hits compilation, and played their last show at Biola University in La Mirada, California on October 7, 2005.