Louisa Marks (RIP) 6 SIX STREET

The reggae musician Louisa Marks, who has died aged 49 from a suspected food poisoning at her home in the Gambia, was the fearless school girl who changed the course of reggae music. Marks was arguably the Queen of Lovers Rock a sub-genre of reggae noted for its romantic sound and bluesy content. Lover’s Rock was a product of the UK reggae scene and Marks was its first major star. The genre gained wider acceptance in the late 1970s as mainstream roots reggae increasingly devoted itself to political protest and Rastafarian spirituality. Marks and Lover’s Rock – – fondly called “music to make love to” – blurred the lines to a greater extent than ever before, pairing the smooth sounds of Chicago and Philly soul with reggae basslines and rhythms. Marks’ seminal work is perhaps her 1975 cover of Robert Parkers classic Caught You in a Lie. That single, recorded when she was just 15, not only became synonymous with Lovers Rock, the track also helped put Britain on the global reggae map. Her sweet vocal style and updated rock steady rhythms made her a household name among lovers of reggae music the world over. From the time that “Caught You in a Lie” was released, Lover’s Rock became quite popular among Black Britons seeking an alternative to political reggae. While never quite prevalent in the spiritual home of reggae music Jamaica, Lover’s Rock was adopted as an alternate style by several major roots-reggae figures, including John Holt, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, and Freddie …
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