Millie Small

Millicent Dolly May Small CD (6 October 1947 – 5 May 2020) was a Jamaican singer who is best known for her international hit "My Boy Lollipop". The song reached number two in both the UK and US charts and sold over seven million copies worldwide. It was also the first major hit for Island Records and helped to achieve the label its mainstream success. She was the Caribbean's first international recording star and its most successful female performer.

When Gray resumed his solo career, Small began recording with another singer, Samuel Augustus "Roy" Panton. Working with producer Roy Robinson, the duo of Roy & Millie had a run of local hits, including "We'll Meet". They had further successes working with Dodd, as well with producer Lindon Pottinger, including the local hit "Marie" in 1963; and then with Prince Buster. Her popularity brought her to the attention of Anglo-Jamaican entrepreneur Chris Blackwell, who was convinced of her wider international potential, and became her manager and legal guardian. In late 1963 he took her to Forest Hill, London, where she was given intensive training in dancing and diction. in the US Billboard Hot 100, and in Canada. It also topped the chart in Australia. Initially it sold over 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Including singles sales, album usage, and compilation inclusions, the song has since sold more than seven million copies worldwide and made Small an international star at the age of 17.

"My Boy Lollipop" was doubly significant in British pop history. It was the first major hit for Island Records (although it was actually released on the Fontana label because Chris Blackwell, Island's owner, did not want to overextend its then-meagre resources; in the US, the record appeared on the Smash Records subsidiary of Mercury Records). Small was the first artist to have a hit that was recorded in the bluebeat style, a music genre that was a direct ancestor of reggae. She was billed as "The Blue Beat Girl" on the single's label in the US. she had become an international celebrity. She was given a gold disc in New York, and was driven in an open-top car on her return to Kingston where she performed in several major shows, on one occasion topping the bill over Otis Redding, Patti LaBelle, and Inez and Charlie Foxx. She also performed in a Ska Spectacular show at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

In early 1965, she featured in a Ready, Steady, Go! special, Millie in Jamaica, and soon afterwards she embarked on a world tour, with concerts in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, the US, Brazil and Argentina.

She recorded several duets with Jackie Edwards in 1965, as well as solo material, but sales were disappointing. She also released her second LP record, Millie Sings Fats Domino, but it failed to reach the charts. Her eighth single in Britain, a version of Wynonie Harris' "Bloodshot Eyes", was her last UK chart success, reaching number 48 in late 1965, but she continued to tour successfully in Australia and Africa. After returning to Britain she made further recordings with Jackie Edwards, including the album Pledging My Love, and also appeared on the compilation album Ska at the Jamaica Playboy Club, singing on one track with the then-unknown Jimmy Cliff. However, her popularity in Britain appeared to dwindle as she spent more time touring abroad. In 1968, after two albums of The Best of Jackie & Millie, her recording contracts with Island and Fontana ended. on which she was backed by the band Symarip. She then recorded for the Trojan label, her first single combining a version of Nick Drake's "Mayfair" with her own song, the politically-inspired and defiant "Enoch Power", which faced a radio ban but re-established her profile among the British Caribbean community. However, after a short period with President Records, she ended her recording career soon afterwards.

Later life In 1987, during a rare interview with Thames News, it was revealed that Small was penniless and had taken to living in a hostel with her toddler daughter Jaelee. In November 1987, she made a rare public appearance in Jamaica to receive the Medal of Appreciation from Prime Minister Edward Seaga. In 2006, she was said to be making new recordings after some years spent writing, painting, and raising her daughter. The award was accepted on her behalf by Seaga.

After nearly forty years away from the limelight and refusing most interview requests, Small granted U.S. journalist Tom Graves the first ever in-depth interview in the August 2016 edition of Goldmine.

Personal life She had a brief relationship with Peter Asher of the 1960s duo Peter & Gordon. In her August 2016 interview with U.S. journalist Tom Graves, she said the relationship had been platonic.

She lived in Singapore from 1971 to 1973 before returning to the United Kingdom, where she lived for the remainder of her life. from a stroke, aged 72. News of her death was first announced to the Jamaica Observer by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell,

Discography Albums My Boy Lollipop (1964, UK: Fontana, US: Smash) More Millie (1964, UK: Fontana) The Most Of Millie (And The Boys) (1964, Jamaica: WIRL (West Indies Records Limited) Sings Fats Domino (1965, UK: Fontana, 1966, Canada: Stone Records) The Best of Millie Small (1967, UK: Island Records) Time Will Tell (1970/2004, Trojan) My Boy Lollipop and 31 Other Songs (1994, DE: Combo Records)

Singles Source: Year Single Label 1963 "Don't You Know" / "Until You're Mine" Fontana 1964 "My Boy Lollipop" / "Something's Gotta Be Done" "Sweet William" / "Oh, Henry" "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" / "Mixed Up, Fickle, Lonely, Self-Centred, Spoiled Kind of Boy" Brit./Atco "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 "My Love and I" / "Tell Me All About Yourself" Pyramid "Readin' Writin' Arithmetic" / "I Want You Never to Stop" Decca 1970 "Mayfair" / "Enoch Power" Trojan