One of the many short-lived Reggae labels to which the '70s gave birth. Mark Griffiths reports that Jade was owned by the band Black Jade. It issued three singles in 1977-78, all of them by that band. The label of the first single was designed to resemble a Jamaican pre-release (1). There were also a couple of Black Jade albums, 'Contempo' (JA-100) and 'Rockers' (JALP-101); the latter was on the 'Pre Jade' label. 'Music Week' of the 3rd of December 1977 said that Jade planned to develop a subsidiary called Sun Star, and that the profits from the main label were to be "channelled back into this second outlet." According to the article, Sun Star was based at 68, Church Street, Kensington, and the plans for it had first been mooted by Olga Graham, previously with Chrysalis (q.v.). The new label was actually named Sun-Star Muzik Co.; as an album by Merger, 'Exiles In A Babylon' (SUN-1001; 1977), appears to have been its only release it is outside the scope of this site. The 'MW' article mentions several other Sun Star LPs - 'Humble Lion' by Black Affinity, 'Blacksmith' by Horace Faith, and an album called 'Illorin Adetumbo' - as being in the pipeline, but as there's nothing online about them they may well not have made it on to vinyl. The first scan comes by courtesy of Nicholas Hough, the second was supplied by Robert Bowes.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.