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One-third of the I-Threes, reggae's most influential female vocal trio,
Judy Mowatt helped to turn the last recordings of
Bob Marley into enduring classics. Her sensuous harmonies strengthened albums by
Peter Tosh,
Jimmy Cliff,
Big Youth,
Pablo Moses,
Freddie McGregor,
U-Roy, and
the Wailing Souls. Her solo recordings, including
Black Woman in 1980 and
Only a Woman, two years later, marked her as a powerful spokesperson for Rastafarian and feminist causes.
Mowatt initially attracted attention as lead singer of a vocal trio, the Gaylettes, also known as the Gaytones, that she formed with Beryl Lawrence and Merle Clemonson in 1967. Based on such Motown groups as
the Supremes,
the Marvelettes, and
Gladys Knight & the Pips, the Gaylettes harmonized on a rich mix of R&B and Jamaican dance music. The trio remained together until 1970 when Lawrence and Clemonson immigrated to the United States and
Mowatt embarked on a solo career, recording under a series of pseudonyms including "Juliann."
Mowatt's greatest break came when vocalist
Marcia Griffiths asked her to sing harmony on a track that she was recording at Studio One with her duo partner
Bob Andy in 1974.
Rita Marley, the wife of
Bob Marley and the mother of
Ziggy Marley, was also hired to sing on the tune. The three woman hit it off so well that
Griffiths invited
Mowatt and
Marley to sing
the Supremes tune "Remember Me" with her when she performed that night at the House of Chen in New Kingston. The appearance was so successful that they agreed to continue performing together as the I-Threes.
Around the same time,
Bob Marley was beginning to rebound from his split with
Peter Tosh and
Bunny "Wailer" Livingston. During a visit to the home of reggae producer
Lee Perry in Cardiff Crescent in the Washington Gardens section of Jamaica, it was suggested that
Marley incorporate the I-Threes into his performances. After singing harmony on
Marley's song "Jah Live" and on an album,
Natty Dread, the I-Threes performed their first concert with him as the opening act for
the Jackson 5 in spring 1975. The I-Threes continued to work with
Marley until his death in May 1981. Five years later,
Mowatt and the I-Threes toured in a package show that featured musicians from
Marley's band
the Wailers and introduced Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers to North American audiences. A member of the Rastafarian group the Twelve Tribes of Israel,
Mowatt recalled her fascination with
Marley during an early-'90s interview. "I had gotten to realize in reading my Bible that this man (
Marley) was really Joseph in his second advent. I saw in the man that this time he came not only with the physical corn to feed his people but he came with the spiritual corn, which was the message that transcended to the four corners of the world." In addition to her work with
Marley and the I-Threes,
Mowatt continued to pursue a solo career. Her album,
Black Woman, released in 1977, was the first to be recorded at
Marley's Tuff Gong studios. ~ Craig Harris