1/15/2024 0 Comments Soundbunny serial numberHe played a guitar, and I was harmonizing this guy’s song, and Phillip heard me singing this song with this guy, and he said, “Wow, this little girl can sing.” And he asked me what else I could do. And he heard me singing with this guy who lived in the same yard. He came to visit his girlfriend just where I was living in Hannah Town, Kingston. How did he know that you had what it took to get on stage? Let’s walk it back a bit because Philip James from the Blues Busters who wanted you to perform. So I walked out there, and I didn’t have a clue that the band had planned to sabotage me. When I walked out there, I was more anxious to show everyone what I could do. So Byron Lee said, “No way.” But somehow I managed to get on, went to the rehearsal, rehearsed one song and went on stage morning, young little. It was a big issue getting me on the show because the show had already planned. “No Time To Lose” by Carla Thomas, that’s the song I chose to do on Easter Monday morning with Byron Lee. For me, I was inspired by Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, all these female singers were so popular in Jamaica, and Carla Thomas, of course. Studio One is where all the great artists graduate. You know, Studio One is like Jamaica’s Motown. Motown, especially, right? That was a big influence. My father went to Carib Theatres because in Jamaica we are influenced by American music. I started out on Easter Monday morning, 1964. Oh my Lord, this is a song that I’ve been singing for 60 years.Īre you sick of it? I apologize, but some of our listeners have not heard the song. Can you tell us the story behind that first show when you were a teenager? It was with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, which is a very high bar to start at. Next year is the 60th anniversary of your very first performance. You can listen to it in its entirety in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts. This interview has been edited for concision and clarity. “He opened my eyes to realize that it’s a responsibility, that this is our only vehicle and weapon to use in a positive way to teach and educate and uplift mankind, to unite the world,” she says. I spoke with her from her home in Kingston, Jamaica, and we touched on all of the above, plus the business of music and how she see views the role of a performer - a philosophy she picked up from Marley himself. Marcia Griffiths will be bringing some of that happiness to Brooklyn this week when she performs as part of the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! summer concert series this Saturday, July 15, in Prospect Park at the Lena Horne Bandshell. “When I stand on stage and I watch a hundred thousand people doing the Electric Slide, I am just blown away to know that my song has united the world and so many people can come together in one body,” she says on this week’s episode of “ Brooklyn Magazine: The Podcast.” “You don’t need a partner. If you’ve ever done the Electric Slide, you have Marcia Griffiths to thank for that - her 1983 hit “Electric Boogie” ultimately gave birth to that global dance phenomenon which simply refuses to quit. She also worked with another important Bob, Bob Marley, as a backup singer as part of the I Threes trio. You may know her from early hits like “I Feel Like Jumping,” and her work with the also-legendary Bob Andy - she is the Marcia of Bob and Marcia. In an industry dominated by male voices, Marcia Griffiths is about to enter her 60th year as a trailblazing reggae vocalist, songwriter, performer and collaborator. Like what you’re hearing? Subscribe to us at iTunes, check us out on Spotify and hear us on Google, Amazon, Stitcher and TuneIn.
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