In a 30-year career, Heather Cummings has logged countless miles and hours as a harmony singer for the biggest artistes in reggae. On September 13, she stepped into the spotlight for the second Grammy Certificates Ceremony at the Audi Showroom in Kingston.

Promoted by London-based Back 2 Da Future Music Limited, it honored 27 music industry figures for their contributions to Grammy-winning or Grammy nominated projects.

Cummings received certificates for her vocals on four albums: ‘The Messiah’ by Sizzla, ‘Rasta Got Soul’ by Buju Banton, ‘Clothes Drop’ by Shaggy and ‘Friends’ by Sly and Robbie. ‘Rasta Got Soul’ and ‘Friends’ won Grammys for Best Reggae Album.

“I’m elated, the feeling is beautiful. I feel excited and I feel as if my contribution to music has finally been recognised in a professional setting, if I may put it that way,” she said. “Persons have always recognised my contributions, it’s just that to be recognised in this capacity, it’s an honour.”

Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica’s first capital, and raised in St Elizabeth parish, southern Jamaica, Cummings first worked as a backing vocalist in the early 1990s for Yasus Afari.

As her reputation grew, she recorded songs or toured with Black Uhuru, Maxi Priest, Luciano, Lieutenant Stitchie and Beres Hammond.

Some of reggae’s greatest singers made their names as harmony singers. The most famous are Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt and Rita Marley as The I-Threes, Bob Marley’s harmony trio, who each had fruitful solo careers.

The Tamlins, Nadine Sutherland and Chevelle Franklyn also provided backing vocals for major artistes while having solo chart success. Cummings, whose influences include Peabo Bryson, James Ingram and Mariah Carey, has recorded many solo songs without getting that big hit, but that has never been a bother.

“I enjoy singing harmonies, and sometimes I tell people that not everybody is really called to be a lead singer. If all harmony singers were to become lead vocalists then we would have no harmony singers at all. If your calling is to be a harmony singer, then maybe that’s what your calling is,” she reasoned. “It hasn’t affected me, I just did what I had to do.”

The Grammy Certificate Ceremony is the brainchild of Kennedy Mensah, a London-born music publisher and lifelong fan of Jamaican culture. He started Back 2 Da Future Music Limited 20 years ago.

In 2024, he staged Grammy Certificate ceremonies in Kingston, South Florida and London, acknowledging the unheralded contributions of musicians like keyboardist Ansel Collins and guitarist Rad Bryan.

Other recipients at the September 13th event included Steely and Clevie, guitarist/keyboardist Paul Crosdale of The Firehouse Crew, drummer Squidley Cole, Romain Virgo, Chevelle Franklyn and Dean Fraser.

(Photo contributed)