PROFILPELAJAR.COM

Jade
Jade
Origin	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	R&B; new jack swing; hip hop soul;
Years active	1991–1997; 2014; 2021–present;
Labels	Giant
Members	Joi Marshall; Tonya Kelly;
Past members	Di Reed;
Website	officialjademusic.com

Jade is an American girl group, formed in Chicago in 1991, whose original line-up was composed of Joi Marshall, Tonya Kelly, and Di Reed. They are best known for their hit singles "I Wanna Love You", "Don't Walk Away", "One Woman", and "Every Day of the Week".

History

The group Jade originally consisted of Joi Marshall, Angela M. Slates, and Debra Mitchell, under the name JAD. Producer Vassal Benford sold the song "I Wanna Love You" before Marshall, Slates, and Mitchell’s voices were recorded on the song. In order to keep the song on the soundtrack for the 1992 Kid 'n Play comedy Class Act, Benford had to reproduce the song with the actual voices of the group members. When that could not be accomplished he implored the record label to drop Slates and Mitchell from the group and replace them with Di Reed and Tonya Kelly who were the voices on the song and who were signed to his production company.

Tonya Kelly and Di Reed were signed by producer Vassal Benford and the group's name was extended to Jade.^[1] Kelly grew up in Chicago listening to jazz vocalists including Sarah Vaughan and Nat King Cole. Joi Marshall was also from Chicago but grew up listening to Motown, especially Diana Ross. Reed grew up in Houston singing gospel anywhere she could.^[2]

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 the Billboard Hot 100. Their follow-up single "Don't Walk Away", was their biggest hit and climbed to #2 on the R&B chart and was certified gold by the RIAA in 1993. The single went on to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide. Subsequent singles "Looking for Mr. Do Right" and "One Woman" helped push their debut album Jade to the Max to platinum status, sparking a lengthy tour and spots on The Tonight Show, The Arsenio Hall Show, and the U.K.'s Top of the Pops.

Jade also performed on BET's Listening Party Live. The session was recorded and released as a CD in 1993. Jade was the only group to have a BET Listening Party album released. In 1994 the band appeared in the movie The Inkwell, and released their second studio album Mind, Body & Song, on which they served as co-writers and co-producers. Singles "5-4-3-2 (Yo! Time Is Up)" and "Every Day of the Week" propelled the album to gold status.

Jade appeared on Beverly Hills, 90210 in the episode, "You've Got To Have Heart", which aired on February 8, 1995. During their appearance, they performed "Every Day of the Week". Thereafter, Tonya Kelly left the group, then briefly reunited with Joi Marshall in 1997 to contribute the track "Keep on Risin" to the soundtrack for the film The Sixth Man. With TLC, SWV, Xscape and other female singers, the trio appeared on "Freedom", which first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film of the same title, Panther. The song "5-4-3-2 (Yo! Time Is Up)" was used as part of the soundtrack for the New York Undercover episode "Eyewitness Blues".

Current activities

After the group disbanded, Di Reed became a backup singer for Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Christina Aguilera, Elton John, and Gwen Stefani. Angela Slates became a successful music producer (producing songs for Trina & Tamara, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Vybe, Somethin' for the People and Eric Benét) and she earned a Ph.D. in education. Debra Mitchell (now known as Debra Mitchell-Adams) became a member of the group Vybe on Island Records and owns Legacy Global Music Group. In February 2018, Marshall released her debut solo single "Love Language."^[3]

In 2022, Jade began touring with original members Joi Marshall and Tonya Kelly, along with a new member, Myracle Holloway.

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chart positions						Certifications
Year	Album details	US ^[4]	US R&B ^[4]	AUS ^[5]	GER ^[6]	NL ^[7]	UK ^[8]	Certifications
1992	Jade to the Max Released: November 17, 1992 Label: Giant	56	19	126	82	48	43	RIAA: Platinum^[9]
1994	Mind, Body & Song Released: September 27, 1994 Label: Giant	80	16	189	—	—	—	RIAA: Gold^[9]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Live albums

Year	Album details	Peak
Year	Album details	US R&B ^[4]
1993	BET's Listening Party Released: August 31, 1993 Label: Giant	67

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
Year	Title	US ^[4]	US R&B ^[4]	AUS ^[10]^[5]	AUT ^[11]	CAN ^[12]	GER ^[6]	NL ^[7]	NZ ^[13]	SWE ^[14]	UK ^[8]	Certifications	Album
1992	"I Wanna Love You"	16	7	96	—	69	—	—	24	—	13		Jade to the Max
1992	"Don't Walk Away"	4	2	72	25	65	26	9	28	23	7	RIAA: Gold^[9] BPI: Silver^[15]
1993	"One Woman"	22	16	150	—	—	—	—	—	—	22
1993	"Looking for Mr. Do Right"	69	16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1994	"5-4-3-2 (Yo! Time Is Up)"	72	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Mind, Body & Song
1994	"Every Day of the Week"	20	15	138	—	85	79	—	—	—	19		Mind, Body & Song
1997	"Keep on Risin'" (featuring Lil' Rachett & Vaz)	—	50	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		The 6th Man
2014	“Baby Luv”	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Baby Luv - Single
"—" denotes a recording which did not chart or was not released in that territory

Featured singles

Year	Title	Artist	Peak chart positions			Album
Year	Title	Artist	US ^[4]	US R&B ^[4]	UK ^[16]	Album
1993	"All Thru the Nite"	P.O.V.	120	31	32	Handin' Out Beatdowns
1995	"Freedom"	Various Artists	45	18	—	Panther
"—" denotes a recording which did not chart or was not released in that territory

Jade had no hits in the UK until March 1993. Don't Walk Away was the lead single and I Wanna Love You being the 2nd hit in July 1993 followed by One Woman in September 1993. Every Day of the Week didn't chart in the UK until February 1995.^[17]