Ophelia Marie
Encyclopedia
Ophelia Marie is a popular singer of cadence-lypso
from Dominica
in the 1980s. She is sometimes referred to as "Dominica's Lady of Song", and the "First Lady of Creole
". She has toured widely in France and had concerts broadcast over much of the Francophone world.
She was the first non-French winner of the Maracas d’Or Award from Société Pernod, and has been awarded International Women's Year
in 1985, the Sisserou Award of Honour (the second highest award in Dominica), a Lifetime Award in 2005 and a Golden Drum Award in 1984. In 2005, Ophelia hosted the fifth Dynamith d'Or Caribbean Music Awards. She has inspired CHS's own Charmed Simplicity "BIG UP"
Her signature tune is "Ay Dominique", which was also her first recording, and became an iconic anthem for Dominicans. Ophelia's musical idol is the South African singer Miriam Makeba
, placing herself at the forefront of cadence-lypso
. She often sung about women's issues, a rarity at the time, and was among the first women to sing at the Théâtre Noir
, Cirque d’Hiver and the Théâtre de la Renaissance
.
Ophalia sings a slow tempo form of cadencelypso - a slower, more lilting version of zouk call Zouk-love
.
Cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso, popularized as simply Cadence is a cultural music of Dominica based in Guadeloupe in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scence in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of...
from Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
in the 1980s. She is sometimes referred to as "Dominica's Lady of Song", and the "First Lady of Creole
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
". She has toured widely in France and had concerts broadcast over much of the Francophone world.
She was the first non-French winner of the Maracas d’Or Award from Société Pernod, and has been awarded International Women's Year
International Women's Year
International Women's Year was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976–1985, was also established.-International:...
in 1985, the Sisserou Award of Honour (the second highest award in Dominica), a Lifetime Award in 2005 and a Golden Drum Award in 1984. In 2005, Ophelia hosted the fifth Dynamith d'Or Caribbean Music Awards. She has inspired CHS's own Charmed Simplicity "BIG UP"
Her signature tune is "Ay Dominique", which was also her first recording, and became an iconic anthem for Dominicans. Ophelia's musical idol is the South African singer Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba
Miriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
Biography
Ophelia performed as a young girl in a group called the "Five O's", which performed at church functions. Her husband and manager, McCarthy Marie, encouraged her to start her solo career. Her first recording was "Ay Dominique," a "lament for Dominica as the country underwent political problems in the 1970s". The song became a popular anthem among Dominicans, and she began recording with Gordon HendersonGordon Henderson
Gordon F. Henderson, CC, QC was a Canadian intellectual property lawyer who joined the law firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP in 1937, and later became its chairman....
, placing herself at the forefront of cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso
Cadence-lypso, popularized as simply Cadence is a cultural music of Dominica based in Guadeloupe in the early 1970s. Cadence-lypso is a fusion of Dominican and Caribbean/Latin rhythms and has totally revolutionized the music scence in its genre, and it has now become the main dance Music of...
. She often sung about women's issues, a rarity at the time, and was among the first women to sing at the Théâtre Noir
Theatre Noir
Theatre Noir is a professional educational theatre company in Hong Kong, which focuses on the development of educational drama programmes and theatre productions for children and youth, founded in 2007...
, Cirque d’Hiver and the Théâtre de la Renaissance
Théâtre de la Renaissance
The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour, now an office building on the Rue Méhul in the 2nd arrondissement.The current...
.
Ophalia sings a slow tempo form of cadencelypso - a slower, more lilting version of zouk call Zouk-love
Zouk-love
Zouk-love is a genre of popular French West Indian music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish...
.