Marcia Aitken (born c. 1956, Hannah Town, West

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

) is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

singer best known for her recordings in the late 1970s, produced by

Joe Gibbs Joseph Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former American football, football coach. He served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 Washingto ...

along with Errol Thompson.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p.7

Biography

Aitken's break into the music industry came while she was still a student at Excelsior High School - in her own words: "I was singing at a school concert, and

Lloyd Parks Lloyd Parks (born 26 May 1949) is a Jamaican reggae vocalist and bass player who has recorded and performed as a solo artist as well as part of Skin, Flesh & Bones, The Revolutionaries, The Professionals, and We the People Band.Larkin, Colin: ...

and the We the People Band was backing us. They said they liked the sound of my voice, and I became a member of the band after that. Then I began to do recordings for Joe Gibbs". She concentrated on

lovers rock Lovers rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.Larkin, Col ...

and recorded a popular version of the

Alton Ellis Alton Nehemiah Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008)Godfather ...

song "I'm Still in Love With You" (as "I'm Still in Love with You Boy", recorded while still at Excelsior),Jackson, Kevin (2003)
Can I'm Still In Love With You score again?
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 21 November 2003 which was a number one hit in Jamaica and successful UK and US reggae charts, and also formed the basis of

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

's "Three Piece Suit" and

Althea & Donna Althea & Donna were a Jamaican reggae vocal duo, consisting of Althea Rose Forrest and Donna Marie Reid. They are best known for their 1977 single "Uptown Top Ranking", which was a number-one hit in the United Kingdom in 1978. Career The Jama ...

's "

Uptown Top Ranking "Uptown Top Ranking" is a song by Jamaican teenage singers Althea Forrest and Donna Reid, recorded when they were 17 and 18 years old respectively. Released in 1977, the song comprises the girls ad-libbing to deejay track "Three Piece Suit" by ...

". She had another Jamaican number one single in 1978 with "My Man", a combination record with Trinity.Jackson, Kevin (2003)
Male/female number one songs
, ''

'', 26 September 2003 She also recorded songs by Ansel Cridland of

The Meditations The Meditations are a spiritual, conscious roots reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974, who have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today. History The Meditations were formed in 1974 ...

, including "Narrow Minded Man", a response to The Meditations' chauvinistic "Woman is Like a Shadow".Walker, Klive (2005) ''Dubwise: Reasoning from the Reggae Underground'', Insomniac Press, , p.7 Aitken recorded a single album, ''Reggae Impact'', produced by Gibbs and Willie Lindo. After completing high school in 1981, Aitken retired from music and moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, where she opened the Norstrand Eatery with her husband in 1985.Jackson, Kevin (2003)
Marcia Aitken's still in love with music
", ''

'', 11 January 2003 In the 2000s she studied for a degree in business management. She subsequently moved into nursing for over twenty years.Lyew, Stephanie (2018)
'Nursing Grounded Me From The Pitfalls Of Entertainment' - Marcia Aitken Returns To Music
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

'', 11 November 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018 Aitken returned to recording with the 2014 album ''Conception to Redemption'', which featured gospel versions of some of her earlier songs.

Discography

Albums

*''Reggae Impact'' (1981) Joe Gibbs *''Conception to Redemption'' (2014)

Singles

*"Narrow Minded Man" (1975) Belmont *"I'm Still in Love with You Boy" (1977) Belmont JA #1 *"Blouse and Skirt" (with

) *"My Man" (1978) (with Trinity) JA #1 *"Closer I Get to You" (1979) Joe Gibbs (with

Ruddy Thomas Ruddy Thomas (12 July 1951 – 10 June 2006) was a Jamaican reggae singer, musician, and recording engineer, who had his greatest successes as a singer in the late 1970s and early 1980s with lovers rock songs. Biography Thomas worked for prod ...

) *"Danger in Your Eyes" (1979) Joe Gibbs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Marcia Jamaican reggae singers 20th-century Jamaican women singers Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 1960s births Living people Lovers rock musicians Year of birth missing (living people)