Marcia Griffiths has recorded more songs than she can possibly remember, and while it is no easy task for her to choose which one has been the soundtrack to her life, she has many favourites, both as a solo artiste and doing duets with some of reggae music’s biggest names. From the depths of West Kingston, Griffiths started honing her skills in the year 1964, and all she knew was that she wanted to sing, or as she would later say in one of her songs, “ I shall sing as long as I live, as long as I live, I shall sing. ” Hailed as the Queen of Reggae, Griffiths has dominated the music scene for an impressive and exhilarating 60 years, and when she takes to the stage at Hope Gardens this evening, she predicts that it will be a glorious celebration of the challenges, the struggles, and most of all, the joy of being one of the genre’s greatest ambassadors to have ever done it.
According to her Wikipedia bio, Griffiths started performing on stage with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires at the request of Phillip James of The Blues Busters, who had heard her sing. Following an impressive performance, she was approached by both Ronnie Nasralla and Clement Dodd to sign recording contracts. The teenager chose Dodd’s Studio One label, and there she recorded a number of duets with Tony Gregory ( You’re Mine ), Bob Marley ( Oh My Darling ), Jeff Dixon ( Words ), and Bob Andy ( Always Together ), with whom she would have a long relationship and make waves as the duo Bob and Marcia.
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