Jade (U.S. band)

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = Jade

|200px
Img_capt = R&B group Jade
Background = group_or_band
Origin = Chicago, Illinois, USA
Genre = R&B, pop
Years_active = 1992–1995, 1997
Label = Giant Records
Past_members = Tonya Kelly
Joi Marshall
Di Reed

Jade was a R&B group active during the early to mid-1990s. The group consisted of Tonya Kelly, Joi Marshall, and Di Reed. During their brief yet successful career, Jade released two full albums, one exclusive live album, and had a string of popular R&B singles.

Biography

The group Jade was originally comprised of members Joi Marshall along with two other members named Angie and Debbie and, as such, was first known as JAD. However, when Angie and Debbie were dropped from the label, Tonya and Di were signed on by Vassel Benford and the group's name was extended to Jade.

Jade is often categorized as a "manufactured" R&B group - a common industry trend during the early 90's.Fact|date=September 2007 The girls showed no individual personalities like the R&B girl trio TLC, nor were they portrayed as a closely knit brood of singers such as Boyz II Men or En Vogue. Instead, their record label, Giant Records, placed them together because they had nice voices. All three were given a very 90's-modern urban look, complete with flashy neon colors, exposed mid-riffs, and on occasion, long, thick braided extensions. Vocally, their harmonies meshed well with the new jack swing/uptempo R&B tracks and sultry slow jams they would sing on over the next few years.

Jade's first success was on the "Class Act" soundtrack in 1992. Their hit single, "I Wanna Love You", was one of the breakout songs on the soundtrack, cracking the Top 10 of the R&B charts and reaching #16 on Billboard's Pop chart. It led the way for their best known single, "Don't Walk Away." The single climbed all the way to #2 on the Pop charts and was certified gold by the RIAA in 1993. The single would go on to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide. This song, as well as other hit singles such as the aforementioned "I Wanna Love You," "Looking for Mr. Do Right," and "One Woman," helped to push their debut album, "Jade To the Max", to platinum-selling status. series). This session was made into a CD in 1993, but sales were mediocre. Jade was the first, and last, group to have a "Listening Party", album released.

In 1994 the band appeared in the movie "The Inkwell". This was also the same year Jade would release their second full album, "Mind, Body & Song". The first single, "5-4-3-2 (Yo! Time Is Up)", saw little commercial success, though it did crack the top 20 on the R&B charts. Jade's second single, "Every Day of the Week", was featured on the "Beverly Hills, 90210: The College Years" soundtrack and the video was featured during end credits of the show; the song was a modest hit, peaking at #20 on Billboard's Top 100, thus helping to propel Jade's second album to certified Gold status. Unfortunately, the group would disband in 1994 though not to inner conflicts between group members, but to mismanagement of their funding by their label.Fact|date=July 2007 After seeing very little financial return for their musical efforts, the three young ladies opted to pursue other business opportunities outside of the music business.

In 1997, they briefly rejoined to contribute the track "Keep on Risin," to the soundtrack for the film "The Sixth Man".

Post-music careers

Jade has not released any albums since 1994. Former member Joi Marshall continues to sing as an independent gospel artist and released an album, "Testimony and Praise", on September 25, 2007. She also wrote the book "Answers to the 20 Most Asked Questions about the Music Business" in 2004.

Discography

Albums

* 1992: "Jade To the Max" (certified platinum in the U.S.)
* 1993: "BET Listening Party Live"
* 1994: "Mind, Body & Song" (certified gold in the U.S.)

Singles

Awards & nominations

Links

* [http://www.rnbhaven.com/features.php?id=3&page=1 Joi Marshall Interview]
* [http://www.divaplanet.de/jade.html DivaPlanet interview with Tonya Kelly (2002)]