| 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.
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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]
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]
| 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 |