Millie (singer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Millie Small | ||
|---|---|---|
 Album cover of Millie Small's 1964 album My Boy Lollipop
|
||
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Millicent Dolly May Small | |
| Also known as | Millie | |
| Born | 6 October 1946 | |
| Origin | Clarendon, Jamaica | |
| Genre(s) | Blue Beat, Ska, Reggae | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter | |
| Years active | 1963 - 1968, 2004 | |
| Label(s) | Fontanta, Trojan | |
Millie (born Millicent Smith, 6 October 1946, in Clarendon, Jamaica) — often known as "Little Millie Small" — is best known as the singer of the 1964 hit, "My Boy Lollipop".
Contents |
[edit] Career
Millie was the daughter of a sugar plantation overseer. In her teens, she was part of a duo called "Roy and Millie" (with Roy Panton) and was recording for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One record label. They had a minor local hit with "We'll Meet."
In late 1963 she went to London to make her fourth recording, an Ernest Ranglin rearrangement of "My Boy Lollipop", which had originally been recorded and 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 and in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Including singles sales, album usage and compilation inclusions, the song has since sold more than seven million copies worldwide.
"My Boy Lollipop" was doubly significant in British music. It was the first major hit for Island Records (although it was actually released via Fontana Records because Blackwell did not want to overextend Island's then-meagre resources), and Small was the first artist to have a hit that was recorded in the so-called "bluebeat" style. This was a "music genre" that had recently emerged from Jamaica, and which, as with ska, was the direct ancestor of reggae.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Don't You Know / Until You're Mine | Fontana |
| 1964 | 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 |
[edit] Trivia
- Legend has it that Rod Stewart played harmonica on the recording of "My Boy Lollipop", although the general consensus is that the instrument was in fact played by Pete Hogman of the Five Dimensions.
- 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.
- Icelandic singer Birgitta released a song based on the same tune, but with different lyrics. Her song was called "Ósk Mín Skærasta" (roughly translated as: "Wish My Diminishment").
- A cover version by Bad Manners, re-titled "My Girl Lollipop", was a UK Top 10 hit in 1982.
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- The Book of Golden Discs - 2nd Edition - ISBN 0-214-20512-6
