Millie | |
---|---|
Birth name | Millicent Dolly May Small |
Also known as | Little Millie Small, Millie Small |
Born | 6 October 1946 Clarendon, Jamaica |
Genres | Blue beat, ska, reggae |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
Instruments | Vocals |
Years active | 1963–72 |
Labels | Fontana, Trojan |
Millie (born 6 October 1946)[1] is a Jamaican singer-songwriter, best known for her 1964 cover version of "My Boy Lollipop". Her other stage names include Little Millie Small and, in the United States, Millie Small.
Contents |
Career
Born Millicent Dolly May Small in Clarendon, Jamaica, Millie was the daughter of a sugar plantation overseer.[1] In her teens, she and Roy Panton recorded for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One record label as 'Roy and Millie.'[1] They had a minor local hit with "We'll Meet".[1]
In late 1963 she went to Forest Hill, London, to make her fourth recording, an Ernest Ranglin rearrangement of "My Boy Lollipop", originally released by Barbie Gaye in late 1956. Released in March 1964, Small's cover was a massive hit, reaching number two both in the UK Singles Chart[2] and in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the chart in Australia. Initially it sold over 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[3] She also had minor UK hits with 2 follow-up singles. Later in 1964 peaking at #30 with Sweet William and #48 with Bloodshot Eyes Including singles sales, album usage and compilation inclusions, the song has since sold more than seven million copies worldwide.[1]
"My Boy Lollipop" was doubly significant in British pop music history. It was the first major hit for Island Records (although it was actually released via Fontana Records because Chris Blackwell, Island's owner, did not want to overextend the label's then-meagre resources; in the U.S. the record appeared on the Smash Records subsidiary of Mercury Records), and Small was the first artist to have a hit that was recorded in the bluebeat style. (She was billed as 'The Blue Beat Girl' on the single's label in the U.S.)[1] This was a music genre that had recently emerged from Jamaica, and which, as with ska, was a direct ancestor of reggae.
She appeared on the 1964 Beatles TV special Around The Beatles.
Millie continued to tour and perform up to the early 1970s.
On 6 August 2011, being the 49th anniversary of the country's independence, the Governor-General of Jamaica conferred the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander (CD) upon Millicent (Millie) Dolly May Small, for her contribution to the Jamaican music industry.[4]
Personal life
She had a brief relationship with Peter Asher of the 1960s duo Peter & Gordon.[5]
She lived in Singapore from 1971 to 1973 before returning to the UK which is now her home.[6] She has an adult daughter, who studied art and the music industry.[6]
Discography
Albums
- My Boy Lollipop (1964, Smash)
- Time Will Tell (1970/2004, Trojan)
Singles
Year | Single | Label |
---|---|---|
1963 | "Don't You Know" / "Until You're Mine" | Fontana |
1964 | "My Boy Lollipop" | |
"Sweet William" | ||
"I Love the Way You Love" / "Bring It on Home to Me" | ||
1965 | "I've Fallen in Love with a Snowman" / "What Am I Living For" | |
"See You Later Alligator" / "Chilly Kisses" | ||
"My Street" / "It's Too Late" | ||
"Bloodshot Eyes" / "Tongue Tied" | ||
1966 | "My Street" / "A Mixed Up Fickle Moody Self-Centred, Spoiled Kind of Boy" | Brit |
"Killer Joe" / "Carry Go Bring Come" | Fontana | |
1967 | "You Better Forget" / "I Am in Love" | Island |
"Chicken Feed" / "Wings of a Dove" | Fontana | |
1968 | "When I Dance with You" / "Hey Mr. Love" | |
1969 | "Readin' Writin' Arithmetic" / "I Want You Never to Stop" | Decca |
- Millie was not a one-hit wonder. For example, subsequent recordings such as "Sweet William" and "Bloodshot Eyes", both charted in the UK at numbers 30 and 48, respectively.[2]
See also
- List of reggae musicians
- List of ska musicians
- Music of Jamaica
- Caribbean music in the United Kingdom
- British African-Caribbean community
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of stage names
References
- ^ a b c d e f Allmusic biography
- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 367. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. pp. 178–79. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Dennis Brown, Millie Small & Dobby Dobson Get National Awards". Dancehall.mobi. http://www.dancehall.mobi/2011/08/06/dennis-brown-millie-small-dobby-dobson-get-national-awards/. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- ^ Harry, Bill (2000). The Beatles Encyclopaedia (2000 paperback edition; first published 1992). London: Virgin Publishing, London W6 9HA. p. 403. ISBN 0-7535-0481-2.
- ^ a b Jamaica-gleaner.com
- Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
External links
- Millie's biography at the AMG website
- Millie biography at 45rpm website
- Biography at Answers.com
- 1964 biographical article from Teenville magazine
- Article on her 60th birthday in Jamaica Gleaner
- Millie the Perkiest Popstar Lollipops Again 1970 Mayfair article (contains risque photographs)
- Discography at MusicMatch website
- The Millie Small TV Show on Finnish Television, 1964