Biography
Derrick & Patsy stand as Jamaica’s pioneering boy-girl vocal duo, flooding the early 1960s with hit singles that also dominated sound systems among West Indian listeners in Britain. Already a studio regular, Derrick Morgan had scored his debut hit, “Lover Boy,” back in 1959. Millicent “Patsy” Todd, then unknown, owed her break to her mother, who in 1960 stopped Morgan on Orange Street and persuaded him to audition her daughter. He accompanied them home, where the teenager softly sang lines from a gospel tune; on the spot Morgan wrote “Love Not to Brag” for her. They carried the song to Treasure Isle, where it ruled the sound systems even though Duke Reid withheld its commercial release until 1962. Their next effort, a reading of Shirley & Lee’s “Feel So Fine,” repeated the triumph and reached shops in 1961 before Blue Beat licensed it for the U.K.; the same warm reception greeted their version of “Let the Good Times Roll.” While Reid continued to sit on new sides, the pair kept cutting material for him, among them “Baby Please Don’t Leave Me,” “I Wish I Were an Apple,” “Oh Shirley,” “You Done Me Wrong,” and “You I Love,” all issued between 1961 and 1962. Frustrated at last, Morgan and Todd departed.
They next recorded “Will You Marry Me” for Vincent Chin and “Crying in the Chapel,” “Give Me Back,” and “Tears on My Pillow” for R. Robinson. Prince Buster then welcomed them, resulting in further singles such as “Hold Me,” “Troubles,” and “Want My Baby.” At Beverley’s they produced their most lasting record. Inside the studio it was logged as “You Don’t Know,” yet it reached Jamaican radio on an unmarked disc; public enthusiasm quickly fixed its title as “Housewife’s Choice.” While switchboards at the island’s broadcast outlets buzzed, Leslie Kong and Morgan fielded angry charges from Prince Buster, who claimed saxophonist Felix “Deadly” Headley had lifted a solo from one of his own releases. The quarrel left the duo untouched. A run of strong 45s followed, all taken up by Island in Britain, until Buster lured Morgan back to his camp, Todd included. Out came “Thank You,” “Where Have You Been,” and the pointed “Stab in the Back.” In 1963, when the Prince escorted Morgan to England for Blue Beat sessions, Todd remained in Jamaica and the partnership dissolved. She promptly teamed with Stranger Cole, generating another string of successes. Whether trading romantic coos or trading recriminations, Derrick & Patsy proved irresistible to Jamaican audiences, a popularity that endures in fond memory to this day.
They next recorded “Will You Marry Me” for Vincent Chin and “Crying in the Chapel,” “Give Me Back,” and “Tears on My Pillow” for R. Robinson. Prince Buster then welcomed them, resulting in further singles such as “Hold Me,” “Troubles,” and “Want My Baby.” At Beverley’s they produced their most lasting record. Inside the studio it was logged as “You Don’t Know,” yet it reached Jamaican radio on an unmarked disc; public enthusiasm quickly fixed its title as “Housewife’s Choice.” While switchboards at the island’s broadcast outlets buzzed, Leslie Kong and Morgan fielded angry charges from Prince Buster, who claimed saxophonist Felix “Deadly” Headley had lifted a solo from one of his own releases. The quarrel left the duo untouched. A run of strong 45s followed, all taken up by Island in Britain, until Buster lured Morgan back to his camp, Todd included. Out came “Thank You,” “Where Have You Been,” and the pointed “Stab in the Back.” In 1963, when the Prince escorted Morgan to England for Blue Beat sessions, Todd remained in Jamaica and the partnership dissolved. She promptly teamed with Stranger Cole, generating another string of successes. Whether trading romantic coos or trading recriminations, Derrick & Patsy proved irresistible to Jamaican audiences, a popularity that endures in fond memory to this day.
Albums