The I-Three were the most influential female singing group in the history of Jamaican music. A trio featuring Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, and Judy Mowatt, the I-Threes provided the rich harmonies for Bob Marley’s performances and recordings from 1974 until his death ten years later.

Marcia Griffith was already a star when the I-Threes came together. Her duet recordings with Bob Andy, which included “Young, Gifted and Black,” had brought her international attention. When she invited Mowatt, who had previously sung with the Gaylettes, and Rita Marley to harmonize with her on a recording with Andy, she set the stage for the trio’s formation.

Shortly after the departure of Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston from the Wailers, Bob Marley asked the three women to sing on his recording, Jah Live.

They continued to work together for the next ten years. In early 1975, the I-Threes joined Marley for a tour as opening act for the Jackson Five. Although they continued to perform together following Marley’s death, the three women soon elected to pursue solo careers.

Rita Marley, the wife of Bob Marley has lived in Ghana for over 20 years now. She moved to Ghana together with Bob Marley’s family in the 1990s. She applied and became a Ghanaian citizen in 2013. She changed her name from Rita Marley to Nana Afua Abodea, a Ghanaian name.