JC Lodge

June Carol ‘JC’ Lodge, (born 1958 in England) was born to a Jamaican father and English mother and was taken to Jamaica as a child.  JC, being a Beatle fan soon became immersed in Reggae and R&B.  It seemed JC was singing everything she heard being played and that proved a good decision as she began a relationship with Errol O’Meally, while in high school.  This led her further along her music path as he was a budding songwriter, and showcased her voice to present some of his material to Joe Gibbs” Recording Studio. Both the songs presented, as well as the singer, were well received.   J.C. was then asked to cover Charley Pride’s “Someone Loves You, Honey” in 1980. The reggae version of the tune topped the Jamaican charts and earned the singer gold and platinum discs in the Netherlands.

Rita Marley

Alpharita Constantia Anderson, better known as Rita Marley is the widow of Reggae legend Bob Marley and member of the “I Threes” which was Bob’s back up singers for nearly 10 years.

Rita married Bob in 1966, and then became a singer in his backing vocals group and converted to the Rastafarian movement after witnessing Haile Selassie in Kingston in 1966.  However, she is now an active member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  It was known that while singing backing vocals for her husband, the song “turn you lights down low” was actually written for Bob’s girlfriend at the time, Cindy Breakspeare(mother to Damian Marley, Bob’s 12th child).

After Marley’s death, she recorded a few albums under her name with some success in the UK.  Rita has five children, two from other relationships and three with Bob. Bob adopted Rita’s two children as his own and they have the Marley name. Bob has 13 children total: the two of Rita’s that he adopted, three born to Rita, and the remaining eight with separate women.  Rita’s children are:  Sharon, Cedella, Ziggy, Stephen, and Stephanie.

Jackie Mittoo

Jackie Mittoo (1948-1990) was a director, songwriter and keyboardist from Jamaica who happened to be a founding member of The Skatalites.  He was also a mentor to many younger performers, primarily through his work as the musical director at the Studio One Label.  He was born Donat Roy Mittoo in Browns Town, Jamaica, and began learning to play the piano at age four.  He credits his grandmother with being his the first to teach him the piano and inspired him to continue to play music.  Mittoo was also a member of The Rivals, The Sheiks, The Soul Brothers, and The Soul Vendors as well as the The Skatalites in the 1960’s.

Mittoo died of cancer in 1990 at the age of 42. His funeral was held at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica.  Hortense Ellis, Neville ‘Tinga’ Stewart, Desmond ‘Desi Roots’ Young, Ruddy Thomas, Tommy Cowan, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd were among the attendees.

I-Threes

The I Threes were a backing band made up of 3 women that was formed in 1974 to provide rich backing vocals in support of Bob Marley, after the split of the Wailers. The 3 members were Marley’s wife Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, and Judy Mowatt.  Bob Marley asked the three women to sing on his recording, Jah Live. They continued to work together for the next ten years.

Maxi Priest

Maxi Priest, born Max Alfred Elliot in London(1960), is of Jamaican descent, and known as the “King of Lovers Rock”.  He was the youngest of nine children listening to gospel, R&B, Reggae, and even pop music.  Maxi’s music is closer to R&B and hip-hop, than to actual Roots Reggae.  His uncle was Jacob Miller, was the front man for the popular reggae group, Inner Circle.

He is one of only two reggae acts out of the UK, along with UB40 to have an American Billboard number one, “Close to You” in 1990. Also, with Roberta Flack  “Set the Night to Music”, reached the American Top Ten in 1991. His duet with Shaggy in 1996, “That Girl”, was also a hit in the United States, peaking at number twenty.