Marcia Griffiths closes 60th year in reggae with Kgn showcase
Marcia Griffiths will culminate her 60th year in reggae celebrations with a massive showcase at Hope Gardens on November 3, 2024.
Dubbed Marcia and Friends, the event, much like the one held in Florida in May, will feature some of the 50 collaborations she has done over her iconic career.
Major international acts will also take the stage on that evening when she performs for the first time in Jamaica for 2024.
This landmark occasion promises an exhilarating blend of melody and rhythm from your favourite artistes, curated by the queen of reggae herself.
Speaking on her journey, Griffiths said: “I have no doubt it’s all God’s work and he chose me for this mission. Sometimes I find it unbelievable… There is no way I would change anything in my journey, even if I could live my life over.”
She continued: “The legacy that I want to leave with my fans who are now my family, is that I was not just here to entertain; it was much deeper for me. I recognised that this was a mission that I’m on to teach and uplift souls through my music.”
Griffiths, who was born in West Kingston, started her career performing onstage with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires at the behest of Phillip James of The Blues Busters, who had heard her singing in her neighbourhood. Her performance was sufficiently impressive that the following day Ronnie Nasralla and Clement Dodd both offered her recording contracts. She chose to record for Dodd’s Studio One label, where she recorded a series of duets with male singers such as Tony Gregory (You’re Mine), Bob Marley (Oh My Darling), Jeff Dixon (Words), and Bob Andy (Always Together), with whom she would have a relationship lasting several years. In 1968 she had her first success as a solo artiste with Feel Like Jumping, which was written by Bob Andy.
Between 1974 and 1981 she was a member of the I-Three trio of backing singers, which supported Bob Marley & the Wailers.
In December 1982 she released Electric Boogie, which was written exclusively for her by Bunny Wailer. The song was remixed in 1989, and it was this version that made the
Electric Slide, a line dance, an international dance craze. It reached #51 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it her most successful single.
