Jive Records was an American record label under the RCA Music Group formed in 1981 by Zomba Records. Headquartered in New York City, the label was best known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, in teen pop and boy bands during the 1990s and early 2000s. Jive Records operated as an independently managed label until 2003, when Bertelsmann Music Group acquired the remainder of its parent company Zomba for US$2.74 billion, which at the time was the largest-ever acquisition of an independent label with major-label distribution. In 1971, South African musicians Clive Calder and Ralph Simon began a publishing and management company, it was named Zomba Records and relocated to London, four years later. Zomba wanted to avoid record labels, choosing instead to focus on their songwriters and producers while allowing other established labels to release the material; that decade, the company opened offices in the US, where Calder began a business relationship with Clive Davis, whose Arista Records began releasing material by Zomba artists.

In 1981, Zomba formed Jive Records, whose operations began with the release of British dance and pop music such as Q-Feel, A Flock of Seagulls, Tight Fit. Its name was inspired by a type of music that originated in South Africa. Davis had hoped that Zomba's connection with Mutt Lange would help alleviate the difficulties Arista was having finding successful rock acts. By 1982, Calder was introduced to Barry Weiss, a young college graduate who took Calder out to hip-hop clubs in New York City for his job interview with Zomba, he was impressed: Together, they began grooming musicians for what would become Whodini. After two days, the group created and recorded its hit single "Magic's Wand." While the group would leave Jive, the early success allowed the label to focus on hip-hop artists throughout the 1980s. In 1987, Jive cut distribution ties with Arista separating them from Davis's authority, who eschewed hip-hop; as the 1980s drew to a close, the label entered a distribution deal with RCA Records, it continued to sign hip-hop acts including DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, The Skinny Boys, Too $hort, Schoolly D and Kid Rock.

By the early 1990s, Jive had opened offices in Chicago as well and had become a premiere label in the genres of R&B and hip-hop with the success of D-Nice, E-40, A Tribe Called Quest, Hi-Five, KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions, R. Kelly and Aaliyah. By the late 1990s, Jive began signing pop acts Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Britney Spears. All three achieved massive success as the 2000s dawned, becoming the three best-selling acts in the label's history. In 1991, Barry Weiss became president of Jive Records. After two decades, he left Jive in March 2011 for Universal Music Group; the company was reorganized with some artists moving to a restructured Epic Records, while others stayed with Jive as it moved under the RCA Music Group. In April 2011, it was reported that Jay-Z had outbid executives at Jive to acquire independent record label Block Starz Music. On October 7, 2011, it was announced that Jive, along with Arista and J Records would be retired to refresh and re-brand RCA Records by not confusing or diluting it with other labels.

All artists on those labels were moved to RCA Records. Today, the Jive brand is being used under the Sony Music France division under the name Jive Epic in France. List of current Jive Records artists List of former Jive Records artists Zomba Label Group Sony BMG Music Entertainment Video interview with Jeff Fenster Jive Records discography at Discogs Jive Records publishing catalog at MusicBrainz

The Valadiers are an American vocal group from Detroit, who became notable as the first white vocal group signed to Motown in the early 1960s. The group was formed in 1959 by Stuart Avig, Marty Coleman, Art Glasser, who had all attended Oak Park High School, Jerry Light, from Detroit Mumford High School. After auditioning for Motown, they received a contract and made recordings which went unreleased, before recording a song they had written, "Greetings." The song was worked up by Motown staffers Robert Bateman, Brian Holland, Ronnie Dunbar, who received co-writing credits, was issued on the Miracle label, a Motown subsidiary for which this was its only hit record. The record reached #89 on the Billboard pop chart in 1961; the song became a minor hit for the Monitors in 1966. The Valadiers toured in packages with R&B stars including Marv Johnson, the Isley Brothers and Wilbert Harrison, continued to release occasional singles with little success until 1964, when they split up. Stuart Avig spent time in the US Army recorded as a solo singer under the name Stuart Ames, performed with backup singers as The Valadiers.

Coleman worked as a staff songwriter for Motown under the name Martin Cohen, placing songs with The Spinners, Gladys Knight and the Pips, others. His biggest hit as a songwriter was The Precisions' "If This Is Love", issued on Drew Records. Avig worked in the precious metals business. In the 1980s, English record producer Ian Levine recorded him with other singers, as The Valadiers, issuing two singles on his Motorcity label. In 2003, Avig reformed the group with new members Andy Alonzo, Donald Revels, Nick Marinelli. Marinelli was an original member of The Shades of Blue, the quartet began performing together under both names; the current group, consisting of Avig, Charlie Valverde, Charles Davis, continues to perform together as the Valadiers and The Shades of Blue. The Valadiers discography

Robert Leake was a British Liberal politician. Leake was the eldest son of Mary Lockett of Salford, Lancashire. After a private education he became head of Lockett and Company, engravers to calico printers. Leake became involved in Liberal politics in Manchester in the 1860s, was over time president of the Manchester Liberal Association, the Manchester Reform Club and the Liberal Association of Salford. However, he declined to be a parliamentary candidate until the 1880 general election. In that year he was elected as member of parliament for the two-seat South East Lancashire Division, along with his cousin William Agnew; the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 divided the South East Lancashire seat into eight single-member constituencies. Leake was elected as the first MP for the new South East Lancashire, Radcliffe cum Farnworth Division, he was reelected in 1886 and 1892. Prior to the 1895 general election, Leake announced his decision to resign. Leake made his residence at "The Dales", near Manchester.

He was married twice. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Robert Leake