one nice track by judy mowatt & the gaylettes. produced between 1967 and 1973.
this video features pictures of judy mowatt and nice spots on jamaica.
You could be forgiven for thinking reggae is a purely male form of music. The recent coverage of the celebrations of 40 years of Jamaican independence was great for raising the general public's awareness of the genre and finally giving it the recognition it so rightly deserves, but aside from a detailed Radio 2 documentary on the subject matter, there was little mention of the integral role that female artists, writers, and producers have played in the music's genesis, formation and innovation over the years.
After all it was a female solo singer Millie Small, who gave Jamaica its first UK hit record with the ska tune 'My Boy Lollipop' in 1964. Then there's Sonia Pottinger. Responsible for the studio sound of The Melodians, Ken Boothe, The Gaylads and Culture, she's quite simply one of the finest producers around.
There's no denying that the music industry is institutionally sexist. Its stereotypical view of the female both as societal figure - budding artists in Jamaica are expected to loiter outside recording studios to get a deal yet such behaviour in a woman is severely frowned upon - and as a musician - the industry sees female singers as an homogenous group that can be neatly separated into three broad categories, that of victim, problem and personality, and the reggae female's political diatribe, joyous spiritual or dance floor gem sits uneasy with these pre-determined roles - goes someway towards explaining firstly this glaring oversight in programming and secondly why sadly few women enter the music making process.
Thankfully there will always be those willing to challenge such ridiculous gender stereotypes - from Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt and Dawn Penn in the '60s and '70s to dancehall queens Lady Saw and Lady G on the '80s and '90s - and in doing so they not only provide a role model for future generations but show that instead of being the exception to the norm as they are often painted, they are the norm, if only the opportunities presented were equal.
Here Trojan Sisters pays tribute to such singing sirens, gathering together 50 choice female vocal cuts from the Trojan archives spanning the years 1964 to 1975.
A decade when Jamaica witnessed a radical development in its musical backdrop from the uptempo rhythms of ska through the soulful laid back grooves of rock steady when the country's female vocalists really got their chance to shine to the roots and dub reggae era of the mid-'70s.
One artist, who helped shape the sound of rock steady, was Phyllis Dillon. In her all too brief career (a mere five years) the First Lady of Jamaican music captured the reggae heartland with her seductively sweet vocals and song writing genius. Included here is her 1967 debut, the self penned 'Don't Stay Away' featuring Tommy McCook And The Supersonics on backing duties plus her hauntingly dark rendition of Marlena Shaw's 'Woman Of The Ghetto' taken from her sole 1971 LP, 'One Life To Live'. Elsewhere are her deliciously sultry takes on Bettye Swann's Money label recording, 'Make Me Yours', The Shirelles' 'A Thing Of The Past' and the pop standard 'Perfidia'.
Arguably the quintessential female reggae vocalist, Marcia Griffiths is synonymous with singer, songwriter and producer Bob Andy. Professionally and privately linked the pair notched up a series of Jamaican hits, first with Marcia as a solo artist on such revered Andy scribed Studio One gems as 'Truly', 'Mark My Words' and 'Feel Like Jumping' and then as a duet; there take on Nina Simone's 'Young Gifted And Black' not only stormed the Jamaican chart but also made the UK top 5 in 1970 and stayed there for 12 weeks. While Marcia was a gifted songwriter in her own right, it was such indelible often brave rewrites that really got her noticed. Teamed with producer Harry J, she turned out poignant readings of Freda Payne's 'Band Of Gold' and The Beatles' 'Don't Let Me Down', pulled off an incredibly infectious take on Crispian St. Peter's 'Pied Piper' with Bob Andy, (which made number 11 in the UK chart in 1971) plus renditions of Curtis Mayfield's 'Gypsy Woman', entitled 'Gypsy Man', and Davidson's 'Children At Play', both culled from her 1974 Lloyd Charmers produced 'Sweet Bitter Love' LP and both transformed by her hands into psychedelic delicacies.
After the release of the Sweet Bitter Love album, Marcia's solo career was put on the back burner. Joining forces with Judy Mowatt and Rita Marley, the trio, under the moniker the I-Threes, concentrated their energies providing harmonies for Rita's husband Bob Marley debuting on his 1975 album 'Natty dread' and remaining at his side until his tragic death in 1981.
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Nice video and tune !
Thanks for the upload :-))
tawnyforever 2 years ago 13
Exellent upload with powerfull pictures.Thanks for this great treat! One Love
ladyrock61 2 years ago 11