American. Tabu was started by Clarence Avant in 1977, following the demise of his Sussex label. A Disco / R'n'B concern, it enjoyed considerable success in the 1980s, with the S.O.S Band, Cherelle, and Alexander O'Neal all registering repeatedly in the Charts on both sides of the Atlantic. In the '90s Tabu suffered distribution difficulties in the States, moving from Sony to A&M and then Motown; it shut down in 1999. The label came on the scene in Britain in 1979, as a member of the CBS family. Its singles were given a TBU prefix; their numerical series was shared with the other CBS-labels singles. Just the one single appeared in our decade: Brainstorm's 'Hot For You' (S TBU-7341; 5/79).
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.