Millie Small - My Boy Lollipop (1964, Stereo)

1964... #1 Ireland #2 US Billboard Hot 100 #2 UK Singles Chart #2 New Zealand Charts #2 Canada Top Singles #4 US Cash Box Top 100.. Millie Small was just 17 when the song was released. This song was originally an R&B hit in late 1956 for a white American singer named Barbie Gaye - her version is based on a piano rhythm and has a big saxophone solo. Millie Small’s rendition has more of a reggae feel and features a harmonica solo. The original is titled “My Boy Lollypop,“ making it more obvious that she is singing about a guy, not a piece of candy. Contrary to legend, the harmonica player was not Rod Stewart but Pete Hogman of The Pete Hogman Blues Band and Hoggie & The Sharpetones. Hogman told us: “The backing for ’My Boy Lollypop’ was recorded live in the studio. I played harmonica and Ernest Ranglin played a black Gibson. Several people have claimed to have played the harmonica break but I can promise you it was me, and it was all recorded in London. By the way, Rod Stewart