Shame on me for not mentioning any of the talented ladies of reggae yet! I’ve decided to share with you today one of my favorite DJs of any sex, Sister Nancy. Sister Nancy born Ophlin Russell in 1961 (in the parish of St. Andrew) was one of fifteen children, most noticeably the sister of Brigadier Jerry. Nancy was the first female DJ of note to get her start on the Chalice sound system in 1977. She went on to work with a number of big sounds and later scored a top hit in the early 80’s with “One, Two” which she recorded for Winston Riley’s Techniques label. She followed that up with more hits including “Transport Connection,” “Bam Bam” and “Dance Pon the Corner” (for Junjo Lawes) to name a few. She still remains partially active today but her earlier music was the stuff that I’ve always enjoyed! Today I present “Papa Dean,” her first single. Good stuff!
Sister Nancy - Papa Dean 7"
2 comments:
What do you think of the ladies of today? I like Tanya Stephens a lot, but thats about it...Any suggestions?
Most of the ladies today really don't do much for me... most of the singers don't have a real direction in their music, they mostly do love songs that lack in any cultural or meaningful content like their predecessors i.e. Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths, or even Carlene Davis. I think the problem with “modern” reggae in general is the lacking in heartfelt feelings and importance that the older music had. Tanya Stephens, Pam Hall, Chevelle Franklin, etc. do have great voices but I really have no interest in hearing a reggae rehash of popular R&B songs.
Now as for female DJs they’ve really suffered… I can’t listen to Lady Saw without thinking of her slack/Lil’ Kim persona and I don’t particularly dig it or have an interest in hearing it. Even one-time great DJ Sister Carol has tried to Americanize her music by blending a lot of hip-hop into her tracks and I don’t want to hear non-sensical speed rapping over a lame non-reggae track. Sure she still incorporates a lot of conscious content but I absolutely can’t stand any form of “bastardized” reggae.
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