JUDY MOWATT OUT…PAM HALL IN… I-THREE FOR REUNION TOUR!

THE I-Three are to reunite for a series of shows starting next week in Suriname and French Guiana, veteran tour manager Copeland Forbes has disclosed.

Original members Rita Marley and Marcia Griffiths will be joined by Pam Hall due to the unavailability of Judy Mowatt. The trio are scheduled to perform April 28 in Moengo, Suriname and two days later in Cayenne, French Guiana.

(L-R) Rita Marley, Pam Hall who will replace Judy Mowatt for the tour and Marcia Griffiths

Beenie Man and West African reggae star Alpha Blondy are also billed for both shows.

Forbes told the Jamaica Observer that demand for the I-Three has grown since they performed at the Tribute to The Legends shows in southern California last July. Those shows took place at the Delmar Fairgrounds in San Diego and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

In July, Marley, Griffiths and Hall will perform at the annual Garance Festival in Marseilles, France. This year’s show celebrates Jamaica’s 50th anniversary as an independent country.

Ska legend Derrick Morgan, the Gaylads, Bob Andy, Freddie McGregor, Leroy Smart and Johnny Osbourne are also on the Garance card.

Forbes says the I-Three are expected to close their 2012 schedule with dates in Japan, Reunion Island, Madagascar, Thailand, Singapore and Israel.

The I-Three gained fame in the 1970s as backup singers for Bob Marley, Rita Marley’s husband. The original members had solo careers before their first appearance as a unit on Marley’s groundbreaking 1974 album, Natty Dread.

Their distinctive harmonies are heard on other landmark Marley albums for Island Records including Live!, Rastaman Vibration, Exodus, Kaya and Survival.

After Marley’s death from cancer in 1981, each member returned to solid individual careers while performing at mainly milestone events honouring the reggae legend. In 2009, they were among the acts who performed at Island Records’ 50th anniversary show in London.