Al Japaljarri formed Suta Records in 1979 to promote his own musical career with the release of an LP, "Soul on a Shoestring", and two singles from the album.
When Ralph McTell toured Australia in 1980, he had no record deal. Warner Brothers had not renewed his contract, and his new house label, Mays Records, was still a year away. However, Ralph's Australian promoter, Ian Oshlack, happened to be Al's brother, so Ralph's manager (his brother, Bruce) sent out a master copy of the newly-recorded "Song for Martin" b/w "Promises" single - which was released independently on the Suta label.
Suta Records also held an option on Ralph's last Warner Bros LP, "Slide Away the Screen", and arranged a lease deal with PolyGram to release the album (and another single) in Australia on the Polydor label.
Suta's next release was a single by BG Kaan's Timelords Inc, with whom Al played Bass. Led by Bo Kaan, now Bo Kahn or Bo Deadly, the Timelords were a cult radical punk/ska/reggae/rock band from 1986 to 1988. Hailing from the NSW North Coast, they gained some TV and radio exposure with a number of film clips.
In 1990, Suta released a short cassette, "Local Issues", by Al Japaljarri and the Komradz.
That's the Suta story so far...
Al had taken the name "Suta" from an old Sanscrit verse in which Suta orates a great poem. In the Pali language, "Suta" means "heard; in special sense 'received through inspiration or revelation'; learned; taught; frequently in phrase 'iti me suta', thus have I heard..."
Here is the complete record of the inspired music that can be heard on the Suta label...
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