Women who shaped Jamaican music |
Throughout the history of Jamaican music you will find many women who played an integral part in shaping it, such as … Marcia Griffiths
Griffiths was also the most consistently successful artiste among women and is comparable to any man in what is considered a male-dominated field.
Born in 1954, Griffiths' first exposure to the public came by way of an Easter morning show at the Carib theatre put on by Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. The enduring artiste was taken to the show by Phillip James of the Blues Busters duo. Her performance was of such quality that she ended up at Sir Clement 'Coxson' Dodd's Studio One, that same day where she did her first recording Wall of Love. The first hit, however, was Feel like Jumping, written by Bob Andy and arranged by Jackie Mittoo. Her follow-up hits, all written by Bob Andy, then flowed out of Studio One in a veritable deluge of consistency. Her biggest hit was her duet with Bob Andy, for producer Harvey J in 1971 which topped the United Kingdom charts - Young Gifted and Black.
Phyllis Dillon
While Griffiths had power and range, Dillon possessed melody. It can be argued that there was never a voice in Jamaican music so sweet and melodious. Her earliest exposure to the public came by way of performances with her hometown's Valcanos band as a teenager and later when she came to Kingston, at nightclubs there and in Half-Way Tree. She was introduced to producer Duke Reid's Treasurer Isle Label by guitarist Lynn Taitt and did her first hit (1966), her biggest, Don't Stay Away, said to be the best performance by a female in Jamaica's popular music. Other hits followed, including One Life to Live, Love That a Woman Can Give a Man, Perfidia and Don't Touch My Tomato. She died from cancer on April 15, 2004.
Cynthia Schloss
Hortense Ellis
Millie Small
The song was recorded in early 1964 when Milly was just about 15 years old. Chris Blackwell soon took her to England to help set up his fledgling Island Recording Label. The song climbed to number one on the United Kingdom charts and literally opened a floodgate of opportunities for the many who followed. She could thus be regarded as one of the most important Jamaican artistes of that period. The song was arranged by guitar virtuoso Ernie Ranglin and was recorded in England, but was considered truly Jamaican. Small was, in fact, born in Clarendon, Jamaica, in the mid-1940s and first sang in a duet with Owen Greg on a recording titled Sugar Plum.
She went on to record with Roy Panton on the ska piece We'll Meet and with Jackie Edward on a few cuts while she was in England.
My Boy Lollipop also made the Australian charts, initially sold 600,000 copies in the UK, and has sold over seven million copies worldwide.
Adina Edwards
Enid Cumberland One half of the duo of Keith and Enid who had probably the most popular and best remembered R&B recording during the ska era - Worried Over You, which climbed to number one on the Jamaican charts in 1960.
The duo followed up with other R&B songs such as Send Me, It's Only a Pity, and What Have I Done, which somewhat represented a transition of Jamaican R&B and boogie into the ska beat. Enid, now in her 80s, became an ordained deacon in her later years.
Girl Satchmo Acquired her name from the great Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong who she imitated. Born Kentrist Fugan, she was originally a fish vendor, who got into the music business via the Vere Johns Opportunity Knocks talent shows at the Palace and Ambassador theatres. Her recording of Darling in the 1960s was a massive R&B hit with a Latin flavour. With the assistance of Vere Johns, she migrated to England and made some impression there, recording with some of Europe's top jazz bands, while doing other recordings in various genres.
Judy Mowatt
She was one of the first, if not the first artiste to record at Bob Marley's Tuff Gong Studio in Kingston.
One such session produced the album Black Woman. The album was Mowatt's production, the first time that a woman was combining as both artiste and producer. Her album Love is Overdue brought her a Grammy nomination, also the first for a Jamaican woman.
Sheila Hylton Born in London, England in 1956, Sheila Hylton moved to Jamaica at age three. Working at Total Sounds, she got exposed to music and had her debut in 1979 with Don't Ask My Neighbour. She followed up with Dusty Springfields' Breakfast in Bed for Lorna Bennett which became an international hit and The Bed's Too Big Without You.
Millicent Todd Better known as 'Patsy', Todd recorded during the ska and rocksteady eras in duet with Derrick Morgan and Stranger Cole. You Don't Know, better known as Housewives Choice, was probably her best known hit with Morgan during the ska era. Learn Not To Brag and Don't You Worry were also big hits for her along with Derrick during that period. With Stranger Cole, she recorded the very popular When I Call Your Name in 1962. She also recorded with Cole the cuts Tom, Dick and Harry, Yeah Yeah Baby and Come Back for Ken Khouri.
As a solo act, she had the very inspiring Love Divine for producer Sonia Pottinger.
Doreen Schaffer Female vocalist with The Skatalites during the 1960s, Schaffer had two big hits for Studio One in duet with the Barbados-born Jackie Opel. Backed by The Skatalites, the songs were resounding pieces titled Welcome You Back Home and The Vow.
Rita Marley
Pam Hall
Her recording of Hard To Be A Woman is still one of the best show ballads created in Jamaica.
Lorna Bennett Born in the early 1950s, Lorna Bennett will always be remembered for her 1972 hit Breakfast In Bed. She began her career singing in nightclubs, and on one occasion, producer Harry J, spotting her talent, requested that she make a recording of that song. This she did and the rest was history. She followed up with the Dixie Cup's Chapel of Love and Other Woman, her own composition.
Sophia George
Carlene Davis
Davis became a very popular draw at dances and stage shows as she displayed such hits as The First Word In Memory Is Me arranged and produced by Willie Lindo, Reggae Rebel, Like Old Friends Do, Stealing Love and Going Ddown to Paradise, the last three appearing on the very impressive album titled Paradise. Born on February 23 1953, she was probably the most consistent voice in reggae music.
Norma Frazer Became known through her hit recording The First Cut Is The Deepest, done in 1967 for producer Sir Clement 'Coxson' Dodd. She made her first record in duet with Trinidad-born singer Lord Creator, titled We Will Be Lovers in 1961. The song, written by Creator for Norma to sing solo, was transformed into a duet when Creator said she couldn't manage all on her own. She was voted the Best Female Newcomer in the United Kingdom in 1967.
Tanya Stephens
She then recorded an album of risqué material and had a number of successful singles including Hang Up The Phone, Man Fi Rule, Big Heavy Gal, Nuff Man Flop and Work Out.
Her best works were captured on two albums Gangsta Blues and Rebelution.
J.C. Lodge (June Carol Lodge)
Nadine Sutherland
Olive Lewin, OD
Info Source: Jamaica Gleaner
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