KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica leg of Marcia Griffiths And Friends is scheduled here for November 3 and the reggae queen is confident it will top her event in Miramar which took place in May.
Griffiths is tightlipped about the ‘friends’ she has invited for the show which is being held at Hope Gardens. She said like Miramar, it will reflect on her 60-year career which covers rock steady, roots-reggae and dancehall.
Tommy Cowan and Marcia Griffiths at the launch of her Marcia Griffiths and Friends show in Kingston, Jamaica on September 25.
“It’s going to be more than a show, more than a concert, because this concept the people have never seen before so they have to come out and see it. I don’t think, I know it will be better than what we did in Miramar,” she told South Florida Caribbean News.
The 75 year-old artist did not disclose the special guest acts but Tony Gregory, with whom she performed several duets early in her career, will be on the show.
Her Miramar gigwas held on Mother’s Day at Miramar Readiness Center. Griffiths was accompanied by a star-studded cast that included Singer J, Yeshemabeth, Shuga, Freddie McGregor, Ky-Mani Marley, Da’Ville, Cutty Ranks and Shaggy who flew in from Dubai.
She performed songs that have defined her career including Feel Like Jumping, Dreamland, Steppin’ Outa Babylon and Electric Boogie. Those classics are also expected to be part of her Jamaican set.
Griffiths is from West Kingston, a working-class area that also produced artists such as Ken Boothe, Gregory Isaacs and The Techniques, all of whom made their mark internationally. Her recording career started in 1964 at Studio One, considered Jamaica’s Motown Records.
In the 1970s, Griffiths established herself as a formidable artist, cutting what became seminal songs such as Dreamland and Steppin’ Outa Babylon. During that decade, she was a member of The I Three, Bob Marley’s harmony group which also included Marley’s wife Rita and Judy Mowatt.
Electric Boogie, her biggest hit, was written and produced by Bunny Wailer. It was released in 1983.
Marcia Griffiths was awarded the Order of Jamaica, the country’s fourth-highest honor in 2023.
