The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face / Gypsy Man

This exceptional release brings together two of Marcia Griffiths’ most remarkable recordings, produced by Lloyd Charmers in the early 1970s. Both tracks originally appeared on her acclaimed debut solo album Sweet and Nice (Trojan Records, 1974). 

Both tracks are extremely popular as highlighted by the hundreds of thousands views on Youtube but incredibly, this is the very first time these two gems are issued on a 7" single…

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” was written in 1957 by British folk singer Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger. The song became a worldwide sensation when Roberta Flack’s 1972 version topped the U.S. charts, won two Grammy Awards, and was named Billboard’s No. 1 single of the year. 

Simply put, Marcia Griffiths’ Reggae interpretation, produced by Lloyd Charmers, is a breathtaking Lovers Rock precursor — a sublime performance that has never before been available on 7" vinyl, until now!

Gypsy Man is Griffiths’ reggae cover of Gypsy Woman by The Impressions (1961), written by Curtis Mayfield. 

Griffiths’ version transforms the soul classic into a Reggae masterpiece, bridging Jamaican rhythms with American R&B. The outstanding vocals, allied to the powerful music and impeccable production makes this exceptional track one of the greatest Marcia Griffiths’ song in our humble opinion…  

About Marcia Griffiths
Marcia Griffiths (b. 1949, Kingston, Jamaica) began her exceptional career in the mid-1960s, first recording mostly Soul tracks for Coxsone on a variety of his labels. Strangely she had to wait until 1968 to record her first major Reggae track, the mega hit Feel Like Like Jumping which was followed by more great tracks such as Marke My Word, Truly, Hold Me Tight.  In 1969, she released another big hit, the Beatles’ cover Don’t Let Me Down for producer Harry J. She then recorded for a variety of labels before forming the duo Bob & Marcia with Bob Andy with whom she recorded the mega hit Young, Gifted and Black in 1970. As a solo artist, she signed with Trojan Records and worked with genius Lloyd Charmers as producer of her first album the much acclaimed Sweet and Nice in 1974 which featured our single’s two outstanding tracks..

She also gained further recognition as a member of the I-Threes, the vocal trio that backed Bob Marley & The Wailers. Her solo career continued with many hits. 

To this day, Marcia remains one of the most influential and popular female voices in reggae history…

About Lloyd Charmers
Lloyd Winstone Tyrell aka Lloyd Charmers (1938–2012) was a prolific Jamaican singer, keyboardist, writer and producer. 

Besides the  Lloyd Charmers moniker, Lloyd used several aliases such as Augustus Pablo (his nom-de-plume before Horace Swaby adopted the name), Lloydie And The Lowbites he used for his many lewd recordings and Wayne Howard…

As a talented singer and musician, Lloyd was involved with many bands such as The Charmers, Alton Ellis & The Flames,  Impact All Stars, Lloydie & The Lowbites, Tall T. & The Touchers, The Casanovas,  The Flames, The Hippy Boys, The Jokers, The Messengers  and  The Uniques in 1967. 

He was capable of writing or singing beautiful songs such as Going In Circles featured on our Hot Sauce 4 l.p. but also countless lewd songs such as 'Bang Bang Lulu', 'Birth Control' or ‘Shitting On The Dock Of The Bay’…


He excelled at producing though and became one of the most important Reggae producers of the late 1960s and 1970s. He beautifully produced the Sweet and Nice album for Marcia Griffiths whereas he also played the piano, organ and percussions… 

His productions for Marcia Griffiths, The Chosen Few, Bob Andy and many others blended soulful arrangements and light psychedelic effects with Reggae rhythms, helping to shape the emerging Lovers Rock sound that would soon flourish in the United Kingdom...

Tracklist

A.   The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
B.   Gypsy Man