Marcia Griffiths

Although Marcia Griffiths attained her greatest international exposure as a member of the I-Threes, the female trio that backed Bob Marley on his albums and concerts from 1974 until his passing in 1981, her 41-year career is most remarkable because she is the only singer of any gender to have hits in each distinctive phase of Jamaican popular music. From ska through rock steady, and roots reggae through synthesized dancehall, her silky, mellow vocals have effortlessly adapted to the shifts in the island's rhythms.

Related Content

• Best of the Best 2013, With Beenie Man, Beres Hammond, and Others, at Bayfront Park May 26
  May 23, 2013
• Inner Circle's Roger Lewis Talks Reggae, Legal Weed, and 4/20: "Marijuana Is A Good Herb"
  April 18, 2013
• Best of the Best 2013 Festival Guide, From Beenie Man to Beres Hammond
  May 16, 2013
• Marleys, 2 Chainz, and Future at Nine Mile Music Festival March 2
  February 28, 2013
• Nine Mile Music Festival 2013: A Righteously Stoned Five-Part Guide With Marleys, 2 Chainz, and Future
  February 27, 2013

More About

• Marcia Griffiths
• Bob Marley
• Annette Brissett
• Beres Hammond
• Ska

Griffiths's latest release, Shining Time, presents a variety of new songs alongside thoughtfully considered reggae interpretations of American pop standards. Included is her most recent hit, "Back in the Days," a roots-rocking tribute to several dancehall veterans. She teams up with Shaggy on the pleasant "Harmony," strikes just the right notes with Beres Hammond on the sophisticated lovers rock of "Focusing Time," and shines brilliantly with singer/songwriter Annette Brissett on "Jah Daughter." Riding a searing beat best described as a modern incarnation of Marley's "Exodus," Brissett's raspy, lower range vocals contrast with Griffiths's honeyed tone as the two give praises for their divinely inspired persistence in music-making: "I await upon my blessings, I await upon my songs/In the morning and the evenings, I await whenever He calls."

From the soulful cover of the Stevie Wonder-penned, Aretha Franklin classic "Until You Come Back To Me," to the title ballad that reflects decades of dedication to her craft ("The seeds I've sown have finally grown, it feels like shining time at last," she sings), Griffiths and her executive producers Hopeton Lindo, Syl Gordon, and Patrick Lindsay select songs suitable to Griffiths's timeless talent.