MM: Young, Gifted and Black by Bob and Marcia

I am currently re-reading a book on the history of reggae called Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King by Lloyd Bradley. By happenstance, this week BBC3 aired the latest in their excellent 'Britannia' music series: Reggae Britannia. Taking inspiration from these, I thought I would share a reggae tune for this week's Music Monday.

In 1970, Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths had a top 5 UK with a cover version of Nina Simone's 'To be Young, Gifted and Black'. You may notice that the version in this video differs from the one that you might have heard before. Many Jamaican songs of the period were remixed in the UK with added orchestration or rock guitars to make them more appealing to foreign listeners.

During the 1960s Bob Andy had been a member of the vocal group the Paragons before embarking on a solo career. Marcia Griffiths also had a solo career during the 1960s before teaming up with Bob. Later she became a member of the I-Threes, the backing group for Bob Marley and the Wailers.

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