Sister Nancy

Sister Nancy, aka Muma Nancy, real name Ophlin Russell-Myers, (born Ophlin Russell on 2 January 1962) is a dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a "dominating female voice for over two decades" on the dancehall scene.[1] One of her most famous songs is "Bam Bam", labeled as a "well-known reggae anthem" by BBC and a "classic" by The Observer.[2][3]

Career

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Russell-Myers was one of 15 siblings.[4] Her elder brother, Robert, is better known as Brigadier Jerry, and by her mid-teens, she would occasionally perform on the Twelve Tribes of Israel soundsystem Jahlovemuzik sound system that she worked with,[4] and worked for three years on the Stereophonic sound system with General Echo.[5] In 1980, producer Winston Riley was the first to take her into the studio, resulting in her first single, "Papa Dean" for his Techniques label.[4][5] Russell-Myers went on to perform at Reggae Sunsplash, making her the first female deejay ever to perform there, and she is also the first female Jamaican deejay to tour internationally. She had further success with singles such as "One Two", "Money Can't Buy Me Love", "Transport Connection" and "Bam Bam". Her debut album, One Two was released in 1982. She went on to work with producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes, recording "A No Any Man Can Test Sister Nancy", "Bang Belly", and a collaboration with Yellowman, "Jah Mek Us Fe A Purpose".[4] She continued to appear live, sometimes on Jahlove Music with her brother. The sound system toured internationally, with both Sister Nancy and Brigadier Jerry making their debut UK performances at the Brixton Town Hall, London in 1982.[4]

In 1996, she relocated to New Jersey.[5] In an interview with The Jamaica Observer in 2002, Russell-Myers said that although she was working in the banking sector, that "music is [her] first love" and said she still performs "every now and then". She explained that her absence from the recording scene was due to her wanting to "give other female artists a chance", though she said she was still "as ready as the first day [she] came into the business".[6] The Observer cited Russell-Myers a role model for a successive generation of female acts, including Lady Saw, Sister Carol, Mack Diamond, Lady G, Shelly Thunder, Carla Marshall, Lorna G, Lady English, and Lady P.[2]

In 2007, Russell-Myers released the second of her two albums, Sister Nancy Meets Fireproof, produced by djMush1, formerly of the Slackers (NYC Ska) on Special Potato Records. The album was distributed by Jammyland Records in New York, NY. The album features four original compositions, as well as four instrumental versions of the aforementioned songs.

In 2014, the Sister Nancy song "Bam Bam" was featured in the Seth Rogen - Evan Goldberg movie The Interview.[7] It went on to top the iTunes Reggae Chart.[8]

Collaborations

In 2001, Canadian/American producer Krinjah re-mixed "Bam Bam", creating one of the most-sought after 12" singles and arguably kicking off the ragga-jungle revival in North America. In 2004, she collaborated with DJ /rupture and Kid 606 on the "Little More Oil" single,[9] and in 2006, she collaborated with Thievery Corporation on their 2006 compilation Versions, on the track "Originality".

In 2006, Canadian producer RCola brought Sister Nancy into Liondub's studio to re-sing her classic "Bam Bam", eventually releasing his Drum and Bass dancefloor remix on 12" vinyl with Division One remix on the AA side. In 2007, Sister Nancy voiced a dubplate of her "Bam Bam" with new lyrics for Atlanta ragga/drum and bass dj Tester.

Compton rapper Guerilla Black sampled "Bam Bam" in his "Compton" song. "Bam Bam" was also featured in Electronic Arts video game Skate and in the soundtrack for the movie Belly.[10]

"Bam Bam" was also sampled by Too Short on his 1993 single "Blowjob Betty".

Personal life

Russell-Myers is married to her longtime sweetheart of over twenty years. They reside with the rest of her family in New Jersey, where she works as an accountant at a bank.[11] Sister Nancy has one daughter from a previous relationship who is now 20 years old.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, Rhome (2006-07-18). "Sister Nancy". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Warren, Emma (2007-08-12). "Bobby Kray, Tales From a Skinny White Boy". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. ↑ Small, Elle J (2007-08-31). "Bobby Kray - Tales From A Skinny White Boy". BBC. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Larkin, Colin (1998) "The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae", Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lesser, Beth (2008) Dancehall: The Rise of Jamaican Dancehall Culture, Soul Jazz, ISBN 978-0-9554817-1-0, p. 62
  6. ↑ Jackson, Kevin (2002-07-20). "Sister Nancy says "music is still my first love"". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  7. ↑ Campbell, Howard (2014) "Nancy's Interview Pays Off", Jamaica Observer, 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015
  8. ↑ "Bam Bam tops iTunes charts", Jamaica Observer, 17 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015
  9. ↑ Kid606, DJ Rupture & Sister Nancy - Little More Oil, Soul Jazz Records
  10. ↑ Belly soundtrack details at IMDB
  11. ↑ "Nancy's b'day fest for Queens", Jamaica Observer, 2 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014

External links