b. Mary Gittens, 27 October 1969, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Gittens has been singing and performing live since she was five years old. She initially performed in her local church and at school. In the late 80s she embarked on a musical career. Her debut release, ‘Where Did The Love Go’, was produced by Donovan Germain who also produced the combination hit, ‘Want It’ with Buju Banton. In addition to promoting her solo career Gittens was also employed as a backing vocalist for artists such as Junior Tucker, Boris Gardiner, Burning Spear and the celebrated West African reggae star, Alpha Blondy. She was soon recognised for her professional approach to her work and was subsequently recruited to perform on two high-profile world tours alongside Jimmy Cliff and Toots Hibbert. It was through her association with the renowned lead singer of the Maytals that, in 1990, she was enrolled to replace Hibbert’s daughter in the female vocal group 54-46, named after his autobiographical hit. The association was short-lived and following her departure from the group she continued in session work. She linked up with Buju Banton as a backing vocalist on his 1997 release, Inna Heights. She also released ‘Remind Me’ for Gs Factory and, with Mikey Spice, ‘Let’s Groove’. By the late 90s Gittens had joined the Shocking Vibes crew, releasing a series of hits including, ‘It’s Too Late’, ‘Tears On My Pillow’, ‘Always’ with Raymond Wright and ‘House Party’ with Mega Banton, as well as two hits alongside Beenie Man, ‘My Prerogative’ and ‘Bad Mind Is Active’.