Category Archives: Union City

The Jades

From Union City, Tennessee, close to the Kentucky border, this band recorded an early 45 as the Viscounts with Sherrill Parks Sr. handling vocals on ’50s rockers, while his son Sherrill Jr. played sax.

They reformed without Sherrill Sr. as the Jades: Sherrill Parks Jr. on vocals, Jim Hutchcraft guitar, Terry Hailey keyboards, Horace Phoebus bass and Ray Dement on drums. The Jades recorded two 45s for the Memphis label Renay. The first is a rockin’ cover of “I Ain’t Got You” with saxophone but no fuzz guitar backed with an instumental called “Rough House”. I hope to track this one down soon.

The second is a fine original, “When Shadows Fall”, as up-to-date a sound as you could wish for in 1966. Jim Hutchcraft’s great tremolo fuzz sound and Terry Hailey’s organ lay the basis while the drums and vocals syncopate, and the band takes off nicely during the chorus. Very different is the flip, a much older-styled instrumental, “Blue Nocturne”, probably something they had to play at local dances.

Anyone have a photo of the group?