Dubbed the empress of reggae music, long time musical sensation Marcia Griffiths began her professional singing career in 1964 at age 15, with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires band.
Philip James of The Blues Busters, who heard her singing in her neighbourhood, introduced her to the mainstream music industry. Clement Dodd later offered her a signing opportunity, and she released her debut song, Feel like jumping in 1978 under Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One label. While there, she released several duets including Young, Gifted, And Black in 1970 and The Pied Piper in 1971 as half of the duo, Bob and Marcia.
Following the success of her duet, she launched her solo career on the High Note label, working with one of reggae’s only established female producers, Sonia Pottinger, on many tracks. She produced several hit songs and two well-known albums, Naturally and Stepping.
In 1974, Griffiths joined forces with Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt to form the I-Threes. Together, they were integral members of Bob Marley’s entourage. Even as she toured with this important group, she continued to develop her solo singing career.
When her massive single Electric Boogie was released in 1982, Griffiths became a household name on a global scale. When it was initially released, the song topped the Jamaican charts and later became popular in Washington, DC when a disc jockey started playing the song and it was added to the station’s regular rotation list.
The song then inspired the creation of the cool, chic, and simple dance moves of the Electric Slide. The dance proved to be a boon that led to a huge increase in music sales. The song and dance have also been featured on several international television shows, including the Oprah Winfrey show and Black Entertainment TV (BET).
Speaking on her influence and experience in the industry, “It’s been a rough, tough job standing up as a woman in this business. My views on women in reggae are positive; most of the new or upcoming female singers in reggae started out singing my songs before doing their own originals. I feel very good about that; to know that I have influenced my people positively,” Griffiths said in an interview recorded on Last FM.
In 2002 when Jamaica celebrated its 40th year of independence, Marcia received the Prime Minister’s Award of Excellence. She was also awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction in 2014 for her contribution to reggae music. Marcia will celebrate 58 years of music this year and she continues to support her community through the Marcia Griffiths Foundation.
