Song:My Boy Lollipop
Album:Island 40 Vol. 1: 1959-1964-Ska's The Limit
Millie Small's 1964 top five hit My Boy Lollipop was significant as the first Jamaican Ska song to chart in the US. It was also the first big hit for Island Records owner Chris Blackwell. Her birthdate is listed as Oct. 6, 1946 in Clarendon, Jamaica though there has been speculation that she was made younger so she could be sold as a teenager in 1964. She may have been born from 1942-48. She first recorded in 1962 with Roy Panton as Roy & Millie with the hit We'll Meet. She was discovered by Island Records owner Chris Blackwell and he brought her to England to record in 1963. At that time, Blackwell had already become a major player in Jamaican music and this various artists comp has Island's early recordings. My Boy Lollipop was written by Bobby Spencer of the doo wop group The Cadillacs and was recorded in 1956 by teenage singer Barbie Gaye. Blackwell hired legendary guitarist Ernest Ranglin to give My Boy Lollipop a ska arrangement. There was a rumour that Rod Stewart played the harmonica solo but it was actually by Jimmy Powell of the Rockin Berries. Blackwell licensed the song to Fontana Records and it reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Millie had one more top 40 hit with Sweet William. She soon moved to England and continued to record into the 70s. She has a significant fanbase in Europe. But My Boy Lollipop was the first ska song to chart in the US though I suspect most listeners didn't know what ska was at the time. Here's Millie Small performing My Boy Lollipop in 1964.
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