By Claude WilsonIN THE more than 40 years of the local music industry women have played a significant role in the success of male-dominated occupations. However, there is a widespread believe that few women, compared to the number of men, have sought to build a career in recorded music.
But among the females who have made their mark in that area are Phyllis Dillons, Judy Mowatt, Tanya Stephens and Marcia Griffiths. Those before included Enid Cumberland and Millie Small, who mostly appeared as parts of duets with male vocalists. Only Millie Small moved on to a solo path that was soon to be supported by one-hit wonders Girl Satchmo (Darling Together) and Pamela Blythe (I Will). From the duets of Patsy and Enid of the 1960s through to the solo acts of Judy Mowatt and Carlene Davis of the 1970s and 1980s, to the impression made by dancehall female artistes Serial Kid and Tanya Stephens in the late 1990s, many have broken down the gender barriers to make Jamaican music internationally recognised.
Today we look at the life's work of the five most outstanding female recording artistes of the 40 years of the Jamaican music.
The first female artiste to pick up a major label deal was June Carol 'JC' Lodge. The voice of the part-time actress, painter and Tommy Boy recording act has more resonance in parts of Europe than in homeland Jamaica. Her Charley Pride cover Someone Loves You Honey was voted among the 20 all-time best songs in The Netherlands. Make It Up To You was unique in the sense that it was the best song of both 1983 and 1984.
Different names
Judy Mowatt recorded under different names after leading the girl group Gaylettes. The sweet songster was the first female to produce her own album in Jamaica. One of the triumvirate of the famous I-Threes which toured with Bob Marley and the Wailers, she had the distinction of being the first person to record at Marley's Tuff Gong studio and the first Jamaican female recording artiste to receive a Grammy nomination.
Songbird, the late Cynthia Schloss was probably never given the fullest recognition as the leading lady of Jamaica ballad. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s she did such chart busting, 'lovey dovey' softies like Love Me Forever, Surround Me With Love, You Look Like Love and taunted us in All They Way In.
Carlene Davis must be charted among the most consistent female voices in reggae and now gospel music. Returning to her homeland from Canada in the early 1980s, Davis launched out on a series of love and reggae hits before a converting into gospel music have endeared her to the hearts of many.
Her vision of Stealing Love On The Side through to the classic Like Old Friends, the Winnie Mandela tribute song, and dancehall tinged Dial My Number have earned her great ranking.
The crowned queen of reggae Marcia Griffiths has been charting record since her first rock steady hit Fell Like Jumping in 1968. A year later, her collaboration with Bob Andy on Nina Simone's Young Gifted And Black touched a nerve with UK buyers, particularly among the reggae-obsessed skinhead audience. The crossover success ensured a high position of the UK charts. The follow up, Pied Piper, was equally as successful.
Some 20 years into Marcia Griffiths' distinguished career her recording of Electric Boogie, with Bunny Wailers, became a hit in the USA in 1989 and even inspired its own dance 'The Electric Slide'.
Marcia Griffiths, now in her 35 years in the business, has positioned herself ahead of her peers with fiery chart hits like Fire Burning, Stepping Out Of Babylon, Dreamland, Deep In My Heart and more recently a double-sided hit with Beenie Man called Don't Dis Me.
Marcia Griffiths is Jamaica's 'first lady' of songs.
