Side 1:

Listen: Never Say Goodbye / Roy & Millie
Never

Listen: We’ll Meet / Roy & Millie
MillieWe_llMeet.mp3

Side 2:

Listen: Since I Met You Baby / Jackie & Millie
Since

Listen: I Don’t Want You / Owen & Millie
I

From age 13, in 1961, Millie, known also as Millie Small, had her first Jamaican #1, ‘We’ll Meet’ a duet with Roy Panton. The two remained together as a singing team, achieving a second #1 with ‘Never Say Goodbye’ before she left for the UK in ’63 and signing to Fontana. Her worldwide smash, ‘My Boy Lollipop’ was just around the bend.

Prior tothatr international breakthrough though, duets in homeland Jamaica were commonplace for her, releasing singles with both Owen Gray and Jackie Edwards, two of which are included on this MILLIE ABD HER BOYFRIENDS EP.

Jacke Edwards followed her lead soon afterward, successfully himself in London, writing hits for The Spencer Davis Group and Wayne Fontana plus recording under his own name as well.

Listen: Millie Girl / Owen Gray MillieGirl.mp3

Owen Gray is one of those guys who lived thru the greatest period of Jamaican music. A graduate of the famous Alpha Boys School, whose music program made superstars out of so many street urchin kids, he started out in the big band R&B days of the late 50′s, made the graceful transition to ska without losing any of his heat, and continued to put out records thru the 60′s, 70′s, & 80′s. He moved over to gospel and more easy listening type stuff as he got older, but these early gems still hold the ability to tingle the ears.

I first heard of him on a home made cassette that the infamous Lucky Gordon (of the UK Profumo scandal in the 60′s fame) recorded for Corinne back in the early 90′s. That’s a story in itself. ‘On The Beach’ was the Owen Gray track that hit me first, and it set off an instant search that lasted for several years before I could locate even a scratchy copy with its label scrubbed off.

He did some early RnB singles with Prince Buster at the helm, and this one is a fave. Man oh man, what a good looking record label… silver on black. ‘Millie Girl’ features that slow tugging Louisiana RnB shuffle rhythm that formed a perfect bed for a Jamaican vocal. You can hear the seeds of reggae in it. This was the beat that would speed up a few years later and introduce the world to ska.