Judy Mowatt performing as a part of the I-Threes in Zurich, May 1980
Judith Veronica Mowatt, OD (born 1952) is a Jamaican reggae artist. As well as being a solo artist, from 1974 she was also a member of the I Threes, the trio of backing vocalists for Bob Marley & The Wailers.
In 1974, Mowatt got her big break by joining Bob Marley's backing vocal trio the "I Threes".[1]
Her Black Woman album (Ashandan, 1979) came out the same year as I Three member Marcia Griffiths's album At Studio One. It is considered by many critics to be the greatest reggae album by a female artist.[2] It was also the first reggae album recorded by a woman acting as her own producer[3] in collaboration with the renowned Jamaican artist Freddie McGregor, with whom she also had a romantic relationship, resulting in the birth of their daughter Yashemabeth McGregor.
The song 'Joseph,' from this album, was dedicated to Bob Marley while he was still alive as she believed that the Jamaican musician was the reincarnation of the biblical figure Joseph from the Old Testament.
She became the first female singer nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of reggae music when her Working Wonders album was nominated in 1985.[citation needed]
In 1999 the Jamaican government made her an Officer of the Order of Distinction for "services to music".
Identity mixup
Some sources wrongfully assumed Judy Mowatt to be identical to Jean Watt (the longtime wife of Bunny Livingston/Wailer).[4] This mixup possibly originated from Mowatt using several different stage names, for legal reasons, in the early 1970’s: Julianne, Julie-Ann, and Jean. Bunny Wailer credited his wife, Jean Watt, for writing some of the tracks recorded during sessions for the album Burnin' (1973): "Hallelujah Time", “Pass It On" and "Reincarnated Soul”. The latter song first appeared on a single as B Side to “Concrete Jungle” and later - with the name changed to "Reincarnated Souls" – on Bunny Wailer's first solo album Blackheart Man (1976).
