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

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

) is a

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

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

Joe Gibbs Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and ...

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 and recorded a popular version of the Alton Ellis 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'', 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 Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

'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". 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
, '' Jamaica Observer'', 26 September 2003 She also recorded songs by Ansel Cridland of

The Meditations The Meditations are a reggae vocal harmony group from Jamaica formed in late 1974. They have released several studio albums and are still performing in the 2000s and today. History The Meditations were formed in late 1974, when Danny Clarke le ...

, 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 Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scr ...

. After completing high school in 1981, Aitken retired from music and moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

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

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Marcia Jamaican reggae musicians 20th-century Jamaican women singers Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica 1960s births Living people Lovers rock musicians