'God wants righteous dancehall leadership'

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

Today, Judy Mowatt uses every opportunity to minister for the Lord Jesus, but for this former member of the world-renowned group, Bob Marley and the I-Threes, this change comes from divine intervention.

And against this background, in a candid telephone conversation with The Gleaner, she gave an insight into the state of her music career and her views on women in the music industry. She also provided a philosophical take on the recent attacks on entertainers.

"God loves the deejays; what is happening to the dancehall is a handiwork of God. It is nothing against them. God is calling them to lead his people into righteousness," was her response, in part, to the recent violence that has plagued the music industry.

"Deejays' lyrics are very powerful," she continued. "People believe what they say ... they are not speaking words that are uplifting; they are not inculcating good values and attitudes." To explain her point, she reflected on Bob Marley's approach to his music. "Bob was not frivolous. Bob had his Bible and took excerpts from the Bible to transform the atmosphere."

Time for testing

The soft-spoken minister, who prefers not to use her title (she is just a servant for the Lord), also believed that the current spate of attacks on dancehall artistes should be seen as their trial and tribulation. She admonished them not to despise this test but, instead, remember that God's words must be obeyed.

No one is in a better position to give advice on trials and tribulations as this former Rastafarian of 22 years. Her testing came with the incarceration of a family member. "I felt that God was punishing me." And, during her trials, her seeking God produced a change from Rastafarianism to Christianity. She is currently a minister of religion at Bible Teacher International.

It is this deep sense of Christian teachings and principles that now directs her music career. She was pleased to be asked to minister to the teachers of St Andrew High School for Girls at their parent-teacher association-organised luncheon at Morgan's Harbour Hotel on National Teachers' Day. She was equally delighted to share with, and minister to, mothers at The Jamaica Pegasus' Mother's Day event.

However, Mowatt has not been recording lately. Instead, she is carefully gathering materials. "I am gathering songs that will glorify the Lord. I want to sing songs that will send up positive sound in the atmosphere." Her remark was also a jab at Jamaicans who have fallen into the habit of using the words, 'murder' in place of 'good' and 'wicked' in place of 'excellent' when making complimentary statements.

Upholding standards

On the state of the females in the music industry, Mowatt, with a slight shift in the tone of her voice, said, "Some women, such as Pam Hall and Nadine Sutherland, are maintaining the standard; they are not getting the recognition they deserved. But they are unsung heroes lighting their own candle in their own little way."

Speaking of women, is she still in contact with Rita Marley and Marcia Griffiths? "Yes, we communicate," was her reply, while adding that she would like all three of them to perform one day, but she is not sure how that will work as they are all very busy.

Judy Mowatt was born in St Andrew. Before she became a member of the I-Threes, she was a member of a group called the Gaylettes. And whereas, she met Bob Marley through listening to his music, her introduction to Rita and Marcia came via Sir Coxson Dodd. This happened when Dodd invited her to do background vocals. "To my pleasant surprise, the other two singers were Rita and Marcia."

And later after their recording, Marcia invited her and Rita to join her at a concert at House of Chen's. The patron complimented them on how good the chemistry was between them. Subsequently, they provided background vocals for Bob Andy and for Bob Marley on his Natty Dread album. And as they say, the rest is history.