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On October 6, 1947, Millie Small was born.
Millie Small
Small arriving at Schiphol Airport from Jamaica in 1964
Background information
Born: 6 October 1947; Clarendon, Jamaica
Died: 5 May 2020 (aged 72); London, England
Genres: Blue beat, ska, reggae
Millicent Dolly May Small CD (6 October 1947 – 5 May 2020) was a Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known for her 1964 recording of "My Boy Lollipop", which reached number two in both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. On her UK records, she was usually credited mononymously as Millie. She was the Caribbean's first international recording star, and its most successful female performer.
{snip}
Early life and career
Small was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, the daughter of a sugar plantation overseer. She was one of seven brothers and five sisters. Like many Jamaican singers of the era, her career began by winning the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, which she won at the age of twelve. Wishing to pursue a career as a singer, she moved to live with relatives in Love Lane in Kingston. She auditioned for Studio One record producer Coxsone Dodd, who was struck by the similarity of her voice to that of Shirley Goodman of the American duo Shirley and Lee. He paired her with singer Owen Gray, and they made several records together, including "Sugar Plum", which became a local hit.
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.
{snip}
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. She had a daughter, Jaelee, born in 1984, who studied art and the music industry and is a singer-songwriter.
Death
Millie Small died on 5 May 2020 in London, reportedly from a stroke. News of her death was first announced to the Jamaica Observer by Chris Blackwell, who last met Small some 12 years before her death. He remembered her as "a sweet person" with a "great sense of humour". Blackwell also credited her for popularising ska on an international level "because it was her first hit record".
{snip}
Small arriving at Schiphol Airport from Jamaica in 1964
Background information
Born: 6 October 1947; Clarendon, Jamaica
Died: 5 May 2020 (aged 72); London, England
Genres: Blue beat, ska, reggae
Millicent Dolly May Small CD (6 October 1947 – 5 May 2020) was a Jamaican singer and songwriter, best known for her 1964 recording of "My Boy Lollipop", which reached number two in both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100. On her UK records, she was usually credited mononymously as Millie. She was the Caribbean's first international recording star, and its most successful female performer.
{snip}
Early life and career
Small was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, the daughter of a sugar plantation overseer. She was one of seven brothers and five sisters. Like many Jamaican singers of the era, her career began by winning the Vere Johns Opportunity Hour talent contest, which she won at the age of twelve. Wishing to pursue a career as a singer, she moved to live with relatives in Love Lane in Kingston. She auditioned for Studio One record producer Coxsone Dodd, who was struck by the similarity of her voice to that of Shirley Goodman of the American duo Shirley and Lee. He paired her with singer Owen Gray, and they made several records together, including "Sugar Plum", which became a local hit.
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.
{snip}
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. She had a daughter, Jaelee, born in 1984, who studied art and the music industry and is a singer-songwriter.
Death
Millie Small died on 5 May 2020 in London, reportedly from a stroke. News of her death was first announced to the Jamaica Observer by Chris Blackwell, who last met Small some 12 years before her death. He remembered her as "a sweet person" with a "great sense of humour". Blackwell also credited her for popularising ska on an international level "because it was her first hit record".
{snip}
Millie Small My Boy Lollipop 1964 HQ
61,824 views Apr 16, 2012
Greaser Greaser
899 subscribers
61,824 views Apr 16, 2012
Greaser Greaser
899 subscribers
I've never it jazzed up like this. I prefer the simpler version.
Millie Small My Boy Lollipop 1965
972,890 views Sep 23, 2011
sunnysoundblackpool
3.46K subscribers
972,890 views Sep 23, 2011
sunnysoundblackpool
3.46K subscribers
Fri Oct 6, 2023: On this day, October 6, 1947, Millie Small was born.
Thu Oct 6, 2022: On this day, October 6, 1947, Millie Small was born.
Wed Oct 12, 2022: Maybe she was born in 1947. I'll sort this out.
Mon Oct 11, 2021: On October 6, 1947, Millie Small was born.
Sat Jun 22, 2019: One more birthday: Peter Asher, of Peter and Gordon, hitting 75
[Peter] Asher had a short-lived relationship with singer Millie Small, also known as Millie, who sang "My Boy Lollipop".
In my 2017 thread about Millie Small, I gave her birth year as 1946. Wikipedia has changed that to 1947. The now-defunct This Day in Rock gave her birth year as 1946 too.
Fri Oct 6, 2017: Happy 71st birthday, Millie Small
Chris Blackwell's mom died in August 2017. She was Ian Fleming's mistress.
Sat Aug 12, 2017: Mistress and muse of James Bond's creator, Ian Fleming, dies at 104