Millie Small

Millie Small – born Millicent Dolly May Small on October 6, 1947 in Clarendon, Jamaica– is best-known for her 1964 hit “My Boy Lollipop”, which is often referred to as the first international ska/bluebeat hit. She is acknowledged as the Caribbean’s first International star and most successful female artist. At age 12, Millie won the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, which began her musical career in Jamaica. Moving to Kingston, she began working with Studio One producer Coxsone Dodd. Her first recordings were made with singer Owen Gray. When that partnership ended, she recorded a string of regional hits – as Roy & Millie - with Samuel Augustus ‘Roy’ Panton. Eventually, she was discovered by British record producer Chris Blackwell, who was in the process of establishing his own Island Records label. She moved to London in 1963, releasing her first single “Don’t You Know”. While the song wasn’t as successful as Blackwell hoped, her next single, “My Boy Lollipop”, a cover of Barbie Gay’s 1956 hit, became an international success in 1964. Arranged by guitarist Ernest Ranglin, the song introduced the sound of Jamaica to an international audience. Technically bluebeat, the song is also connected with the ska movement. Released in some regions under the name Millie, “My Boy Lollipop” climbed to Number 2 in the UK, Canada and the U.S., making it the first major hit for Island Records. Her debut album, More Millie – retitled My Boy Lollipop in the U.S. – was a hit as well. Millie Small ended up performing regularly on television programs across the world, including the legendary Around the Beatles special. Subsequent singles didn’t fare as well, but kept Millie in the public eye. To capitalize on her success, a collection of her early Jamaican duet recordings, The Most of Millie (And The Boys), was released in 1964. She released her second album in 1965, Sings Fats Domino, but sales were disappointing. She began recording duets with fellow Jamaican artist Jackie Edwards, a collaboration that led to the 1966 album Pledging My Love. She continued releasing singles throughout the rest of the 1960s, but her 1970 album Time Will Tell would prove to be her last. She spent the next four decades out of the spotlight, occasionally making appearances but no further recordings emerged. In 2011, she was made a Commander in the Order of Distinction (CD) for her contribution to the Jamaican music industry. Millie Small died on May 5, 2020, of a Stroke.

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