The first two singles they worked on with Bob, “Belly Full” and “Knotty Dread,” were credited to The I-Threes as much as The Wailers and Bob didn’t expect any of them to abandon their solo work. Plus, The I-Threes were not anonymous backing talents. Even if you had a massive hit in Jamaica, you were not guaranteed to earn a penny in royalties Marley’s tours, however, offered a steady, decent income – something almost unheard of in 70s reggae. Reggae remained a club phenomenon outside of Jamaica, but it was clear that Marley, with Island Records’ considerable promotional muscle and a rising reputation with the rock audience, was about to play huge shows worldwide. When it came to international success for a Jamaican artist, his was almost the only show in town in 1974. So all three singers had strong connections with Marley before joining The I-Threes, but joining the Marley enterprise conferred certain advantages. At the time she joined The I-Threes, Marcia was enjoying a reggae hit with “Sweet Bitter Love” and about to embark on a fruitful association with the producer Sonia Pottinger, which yielded “Dreamland.” In the kind of strange coincidence reggae throws up, Rita Marley’s “Come To Me” was released in the UK on the Coxsone label, credited to Marcia.Īn artistic partnership with Bob Andy, as Bob & Marcia, delivered global fame for Marcia in 1970 with an entrancing orchestrated version of “Young, Gifted And Black,” and, in another coincidence, their follow-up hit was an interpretation of “Pied Piper.” She also cut versions of “Band Of Gold” and “Put A Little Love In Your Heart,” which are fondly remembered by reggae fans. Both tunes still play in reggae dances today as if they are contemporary records. In the mid-60s she issued a handful of singles for Studio One, including the ballad “Funny,” but really found her feet in 1967 with a Bob Andy song, “Melody Life,” and hit again in Jamaica with “Feel Like Jumping” the following year. Marcia was a rather more forceful solo voice. Marcia Griffiths’ career path was similar, except a different Bob wrote songs for her, and she had enjoyed more global fame than Rita before joining The I-Threes. From the start, they gave Marley’s music a totally different tone, such as on “Talkin’ Blues,” from Natty Dread, the first album Bob made alongside The I-Threes. Their role was to sweeten and emphasize the message in the songs. So Bob recruited his wife, Rita, who had been singing with The Wailers for the best part of a decade, along with Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths, to form The I-Threes. Tosh and Wailer had quit the group, feeling that they were being sidelined while Bob was being groomed for rock stardom at their expense. Their inclusion came in the wake of the break-up of The Wailers – a vocal group comprising Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer. The I-Threes became an official part of Bob Marley’s organization in 1974. But few backing vocal groups had as strong a pedigree as Bob Marley’s trio of confirmation vocalists, The I-Threes. From the yé-yé girls in French pop to The Ladybirds eternally doing sessions in the UK – unseen but gaining credits on Top Of The Pops – to Ray Charles’ Raelettes and the terrifyingly talented female singers that made up part of Stevie Wonder’s Wonderlove band, they have been part of the DNA of 50s, 60s and 70s music, and linger still. The female backing singing group is not uncommon.
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