Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths sing together at the Hilton Kingston hotel, New Kingston, on October 15, 2006.

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

"To be young, gifted and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream
To be young, gifted and black,
Open your heart to what I mean"
- Nina Simone's Young, Gifted and Black done over by Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths.

What does it mean to be young, gifted and black? Decades ago reggae stars Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths tackled the question, forcing people to recognise countless untold stories.

In 1970, international recognition came when Andy and Griffiths recorded Nina Simone's Young, Gifted and Black. According to www.bobandy.com, the song sold 500,000 copies in the United Kingdom and Europe and still receives frequent airplay today. Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths became household names, appearing on 'Top of the Pops', a British charts show, and toured extensively. The original Young, Gifted and Black was sung by American soul singer Nina Simone, with lyrics by Weldon Irvine.

Simone wrote the song together with Weldon Irvine in memory of her late friend Lorraine Hansberry, the black American writer of the classic play A Raisin in the Sun. The original song became a Civil Rights anthem in the United States More importantly, it became an important statement that reflected the increasing desire to express pride in the achievements of African-Americans.

In the Jamaican context, Andy and Griffiths gave a new flair to the classic song, transferring it to a reggae beat and carried it into the hearts of thousands, black and non-blacks. The song was a message of upliftment that could not be denied.

Created quite an impact

Andy recounts how he came to record the song. "The song came to Jamaica and created quite an impact. Prince Buster did a version and Studio One did a version. Each producer thought they had the right to do it. A producer, Harry J, came to me with it and I called Marcia and we did the song. Months later, Harry J told us it was creating waves in England, we need to represent the song. It was my first exposure at that level," he told The Sunday Gleaner.

Griffiths and Andy travelled across Europe performing to crowds of fans, mostly non-blacks. According to Andy, one of the most significant things Young, Gifted and Black taught him was the ability that music possessed to transcend all boundaries. "In each session there was no more than five per cent of blacks and mixed people in the crowd. It was amazing to see Caucasians singing it, to see that they got the spirit of the song," Andy said. Despite its relevance to Jamaica, in an era where black power, Rastafarianism and socialism came to the fore of society, Andy said that the song gained prominence in Jamaica only after it gained prominence internationally.

"We were just beginning to love our blackness; to think that we could achieve so much. There was a time where literature was a no no. We started reading in the '60s, the series Roots came out in the '70s and wised us up some more. I was telling someone the other day to come into the 21st century and see our kids and adults trying to become fairer, it seems a lost cause, but it's not," Andy said. According to Andy, the song was definitely a song of the times that was very reflective of its era, but still holds relevance today.

Everytime he performs it, it is always a memorable experience, Andy recounts. He and Griffiths brought their own originality and experiences to the song. Up to today, Young, Gifted and Black is one of the songs that he is always commended for by fans. They always love to hear him sing "Oh but my joy of today/Is that we can all be proud to say/ To be young, gifted and black/ Is where it's at."