Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt hail new era at Tuff Gong

Last Thursday evening, there was definitely “a natural mystic blowing through the air” at Tuff Gong International, located at 220 Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston. Guests were invited to the launch of the newly refurbished studio, and if the Marleys set out to leave people spellbound, they achieved their goal. The event itself was as posh as the studio.

“I came here totally not knowing what to see or to expect, and I am totally in shock... in awe... I am blown away,” Queen of Reggae, Marcia Griffiths, told The Sunday Gleaner of the newly designed interior, which is inviting, chic, and sophisticated all at once. “But you would have to know what this place was to appreciate what you are seeing today.”

For the Marleys and those in the know, there is one memory that stands out to this day in the story of that particular studio, and it was shared throughout the evening by different persons.

“The strongest thought for me is remembering that when Bob Marley and Johnny Nash came here to record, and they allowed only Johnny Nash in here at Federal Records ... not Bob Marley. And Bob said, ‘One day I am going to own this place’. That time it was owned by Richard Khouri, Paul Khouri, and Mother Khouri,” the Stepping Outta Babylon singer said.

“Those days it was ‘dutty Rasta’... and [people] didn’t care who this man was. I am so sorry that Bob Marley is not here today to witness all this manifestation. I don’t know what to say... this is a beautiful manifestation. I have recorded here ... it’s our home,” recalled Griffiths, who was recently awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Technology.

Although Bob Marley was subsequently given the green light to enter Federal Records, owning the company was a pledge that the Marley family would ultimately keep. In 1981, Rita Marley completed the purchase of Federal Records, which was also Jamaica’s first record pressing plant, and subsequently moved part of the company’s operations from 56 Hope Road to Marcus Garvey Drive, where it continues to operate today.

Griffiths, who recorded one of her earliest albums, the Lloyd Chalmers-produced Sweet Bitter Love at Federal Records when the Khouris were in control, looks forward to recording at the newly-refurbished studio, in which the studio itself and the voicing room have not changed much.

“Only the best is good enough,” Griffiths declared. “And whatever God ordains, no man can change that. I am here to continue the work and the journey that Bob Marley started, and I am thankful that God has preserved me so that I can be a witness today for all of this manifestation.”

Judy Mowatt, like her former I-Three member, Marcia Griffiths, has memories of the studio when it was named Federal Records, and she also gleefully celebrated the new look and recalled how delighted she was when Rita told her that they were acquiring the property.

RITA MADE IT POSSIBLE

“I felt really glad in my spirit when Rita told me, and I want to personally thank Rita for the decision she made to purchase Federal Records. The changing of the guard from Federal to Tuff Gong ... Rita was the one who made that possible. It was a monumental change. The stone that the builder refused would now become the head cornerstone,” Mowatt said as she related the story of Bob Marley being turned away from Federal Records.

“It’s good to see when the person who’s way down God lift them up and put them at the top,” she added.

Mowatt shared that Federal Records was the first studio where she ever “went behind a microphone” while a member of a group called The Gaylettes. “But I knew that I was working for people who had no interest in me but only the gift that I had in me,” Mowatt recalled.

She said she was made to leave The Gaylettes and sign a solo contract with a three-year renewal. “The first song was It Must Be Him, and it never went where they wanted, and it was shelved. I spent years trying to get out of that contract,” she shared.

Returning to the present, she expressed her amazement at what she was witnessing.

“I was not expecting this. I couldn’t come to myself that this is the same place. It is amazing ... and the great thing is that in the studio, nothing much has changed ... the piano and the drums are at the same place, and the studio itself feels the same ... the comfort and the vibe ... that has not changed,” Mowatt said.

And with Sunday being International Women’s Day, the Black Woman singer had words of empowerment for every woman, urging them to “always remember the Creator, keep [their] heads high, and walk with purpose”.

“Don’t give up now, just pray for strength,” she said, quoting the lyrics of her mega hit, Black Woman.

Mowatt’s Women’s Day message was also simple and to the point:

“My message is always going to be the same. In most of my songs, I send [messages] to embrace my sisters, strengthen them and encourage them to be the best that they can be. We see today that women are doing amazing things in every field that was once male-dominated, and that is to be celebrated. To all my sisters, I say that self-respect is the most important thing. Respect yourselves and know that you are mothers of creation, and you can work wonders. Keep the fire burning.”

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com