Marcia Griffiths: "The business was male-dominated for a long time and if I can inspire so many women then it has to be positive!"

Marcia, you have taken on a range of different genres, ranging from ska over rocksteady and lovers rock and you even did some collaborations with dancehall artists on your 'Marcia Griffiths And Friends' album. Do you have a favorite reggae genre?
Marcia Griffiths: "No I love them all! And that's the reason why when I perform, I do everything in my set. I do then and I do now and I try to do a mixture because variety is the spice of life. I always do a variety because you never can tell; the audience is made up of many people who would love to hear different things. So you know I try to include a little of everything."

I've interviewed quite a few female reggae artists and whenever I ask them who is their inspiration or their role model they always say: "Marcia Griffiths!". Do you feel like you are a role model?
Marcia Griffiths: "I am a role model and I know it's a blessing because I have inspired every single one with the exception of none, all these young singers and even my own sister Judy Mowatt would tell you that I was the one who inspired her. So it has to be a blessing to know that you can create something positive. The business was male-dominated for a long time and if I can inspire so many women then it has to be positive. So I am truly thankful and I can easily pat myself on the shoulder to say: "well done!", you know. And it's a wonderful feeling to know that all these young singers – name them – have all acknowledged that I was their inspiration. Most of them started out doing some of my songs so it's a wonderful feeling. Money cannot buy that feeling."

Looking back on your life and career so far, can you name the experience that has had the most profound influence on you?
Marcia Griffiths: "Well, the main experience that changed my life and shaped it, was when I started working with Bob Marley, because when I started to sing as a solo singer, I had no vision of being a professional. I just loved to sing and that's about it. But when I started working with Bob and I saw how serious this man took his music – it was his life, I have never seen anything like that, nothing came before his music – then my eyes were opened and I started realizing that this music was much deeper than entertainment and fun and dance. This man did his songs with such conviction and everything had to be perfect. That's when my eyes were opened and I made a vow with myself that I would never utter anything that was not positive to send out there to the world. And I made a pledge that all my messages must be positive to teach educate and uplift people. And Bob is the person that is responsible for that turning point in my career."

What were your feelings on the 'Marley' documentary? Did you feel it offered a good portrayal of Bob?
Marcia Griffiths: "Knowing Bob the way I did and the few of us that were close to him, I was not satisfied. It never had the little intricacies and the little things we know about this man that made him so unique, one of a kind, different from the rest. Those elements were not portrayed in that documentary. That man was truly sent from God. And with no apology, everyone saw that. This man was just completely different from anyone you have ever known. He spoke different; he did everything different from everybody else. If you saw Bob Marley in the busiest airport walking and didn't know who he was, you would stop and turn around and look at him twice and wonder who this guy is. He just stood out in any crowd. He was just unique. So I don't know if I can endorse the whole documentary, you know. Some of the things, yes, but to a huge extent I think they could make it more real."

Let's say tomorrow you could rule Jamaica for one day. What would be the very first thing you would change?
Marcia Griffiths: "I would definitely have to change or try and change the people's thoughts and their minds because my whole intention why I think God chose me to be in this music is to use the music as the greatest weapon to make a turning point to unite the world, to unite people. So maybe what I would do is to try and unite our people so we can have more love and unity and we can see each other as brothers and sisters and we can be our brother's keeper. I would try to eliminate poverty."

Did you always want to sing when you were growing up?
Marcia Griffiths: "No! I just loved to sing in school concerts and choir but I'm always singing, every day of my life. From when I was a little girl I would sing hymns, church hymns with no vision of anything professional. My father never endorsed me being a singer; he thought that was very degrading. He felt I should have been a nurse or a teacher. When I started out singing I started to enjoy it but my father didn't like it."

Little did he know…
Marcia Griffiths: (laughs) "Yes yes yes, that's very well said. If only he would have known that God had a plan for me. And here we are today."

Marcia, after 50 years you still look so youthful, your voice is still very powerful, as is your message and you still bring energetic and dynamic performances. What is your secret?
Marcia Griffiths: "I don't know if there's a secret, it's just the spirit and the power of God himself. As I said, I know I'm here for a purpose; he chose me to be in this business and I try to take care of myself. I exercise and I try to eat right. Outside of that, I always say: "As long as God preserves me and my fans continue to support me I will just continue to feed their souls with good positive music!". I want to touch everyone's soul, which no doctor in the universe can do."