When Millicent Small’s 1962 cover of Barbie Gaye’s “My Boy Lollipop” exploded onto the international pop scene, it simultaneously transformed the career of Miss Small and her producer, Chris Blackwell, whose prescience would help to globalize Jamaican culture in the decades to come.
The first international star to come out of Jamaica, Millie Small was already a popular singer with tracks recorded with Roy Panton, and her triumph with the megahit earned her fans around the island, including VP Records’ founders Vincent and Patricia Chin.
This week, we celebrate the birthdays of these two Jamaican music icons, Vincent Chin (October 3rd) and Millie Small (October 6th), caught in a series of photos during Millie’s visit to Randy’s on North Parade circa 1965.