IRAWMA to honour Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt

Among the honorees are two members from the legendary I-Threes, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt.

In a career spanning 40 years Griffith is one of the most influential female artistes in Jamaican popular music. Hailed as the “Empress of Reggae music,” Griffiths gained international recognition as both a soloist and as a duo with Bob Andy as Bob and Marcia. Ten years after entering the music business she toured the world as a member of the I-Threes with Bob Marley and the Wailers. Subsequently she hit the Billboard chart as a soloist with her monster hit Electric Boogie creating a world class dance from the song called the Electric Slide which became popular all over the US.

Fuelled by her desire to serve the people of the world with sweet reggae music, Griffiths says, “Music alone shall live, and it’s not only for the money, but the satisfaction I get from doing the work that I love, that is what really keeps me going every day.”

Grammy nominated, internationally acclaimed reggae artiste Mowatt became the first female singer nominated for a Grammy Award in the reggae category with her Working Wonders album in 1985. Her earlier project Black Woman (1980), teamed her up with Jamaican singer Freddie McGregor. It is considered by many critics to be the greatest reggae album by a female artiste and the first reggae album recorded by a woman acting as her own producer.

In the early 1970’s, Mowatt was associated with Bunny Livingston/Wailer and wrote some of the tracks he recorded with the Wailers. Using the pseudonym Jean and Juliann Watt, she pinned the songs Hallelujah Time, Pass it On and Reincarnated Soul. Mowatt rose to fame when she joined Bob Marley and the Wailers backing vocalist trio, the I-Threes in 1974.

Formerly a member of the Rastafarian movement, she converted to Christianity in the late 1990s. Mowatt now sings Gospel music. In 1998 she released her debut gospel album entitled Love and in 2000 released a project called Soldiers of Jesus Christ which featured reggae artistes Papa San, Lt Stitchie, Chevelle Franklyn and others who became born again Christians. Her 2002 album Something Old, Something New featured some of her previous material as a secular artist as well as new songs and interpretations of traditional church music.

Among the honorees for IRAWMA 2012 are:

Reggae 50 Honorees:

Rita Marley – Work in the preservation and promotion of reggae’s legacy

Marcia Griffiths – Empress of reggae and world music and as the most indomitable entertainer in all the decades since the early 1960s.

Judy Mowatt – Spiritual service through music

Freddie McGregor – 50 years of dedicated and untiring service to Jamaica and the world

Ken Boothe – Most consistent in the preservation of Jamaica's Rocksteady music

Eric Donaldson – The king of Jamaican song contest in the past 50 years

Copeland Forbes – 50 years of valuable contributions to the music industry

International Reggae & World Music Lifetime Awardee

Alfred Baker – Fire and Limbo Dancer – WI Dance Theater Company

Martin’s International – IRAWMA Award of Honor

ONSTAGE TV – Winford Williams, for Most Valuable Media Contributions to reggae in the last decade

BERKO – African Spectrum, For Outstanding Musical and Journalistic Contribution to African and World Music

John “Field Marshal” Pearson and Clarence “Art” Bailey – For Outstanding Radio Media Contribution to the Music Industry.