Jamaican Reggae Queen Marcia Griffiths.
Photo by Anthony Turner
Reggae icon Marcia Griffiths, now celebrating an incredible 61 years in music, will share the stage with Beres Hammond, Cham, and Lady Da Flame for this weekend’s Beres Hammond & Friends concert series in the Tri-State area.
The shows are set for Saturday, Aug. 16, at NJPAC in Newark, NJ, and Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Coney Island Amphitheater in Brooklyn.
“For the ‘Queen of Reggae,’ it’s a heartfelt reunion with a city and audience that have embraced her for decades,” New York-based, Jamaican-born entertainment publicist Anthony “ER Guru” told Caribbean Life on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Griffiths said, “I have a very special love for my audience in New York. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about them that I look forward to meeting.”
She said her friendship with Beres Hammond runs deep.
“That’s a very special person to me,” Griffiths said. “I believe I knew him in another life.
“We’re always laughing nonstop,” she added. “I often wonder how he writes lyrics that match things I’m experiencing without even knowing.”
With Cham bringing dancehall heat, Hammond delivering his signature lovers’ rock soul, and Griffiths adding her timeless reggae elegance, “the concerts promise to be a rich celebration of Jamaican music across eras,” Turner said.
Griffiths’s mission has always been clear: “If you can touch the soul with the music, then you know that the mission is accomplished.”