Nora Dean
Born in Spanish Town in 1944, Nora Dean, like many of her peers, was exposed to a variety of musical styles throughout her adolescence, with church services, local musicians and US radio stations proving particular sources of inspiration.
By the mid-sixties she had relocated with her family to Kingston and, though still a youth, harboured ambitions to be a singer, which soon after led to her forming a duo with an as yet unidentified friend (possibly Cecille Campbell), with the pair performing at local talent contests as the Soul Sisters.
Their talent eventually came to the attention of Studio One supremo, Clement ‘Coxson’ Dodd, who had them record a number of religious, including ‘Man From Galilee’, ‘Jesus Is Mine’, ‘This Peace’ and ‘Through The Valley of Life’ all of which saw issue on 7′ singles on the producer’s Tabernacle imprint.
Dodd was particularly taken with Nora‘s intensely original singing style and had her cut a handful of secular numbers, of which the well received ‘Mojo Girl’ and ‘Heartaches’ saw issue in 1967.
A brief spell away from music to concentrate on her studies, but in 1969, she returned to the studio in earnest, cutting a flurry of sides, both as a solo artist and a member of the Soul Sisters.
Most notable works from this period was the first of a series of risqu?? songs that over the next few years were to come something of a hallmark of her work, and that later were to become something of a millstone around Nora’s neck. Recorded over the melody of ‘Little Drummer Boy’, ‘Wreck A Buddy’, cut for Joe Gibbs, featured Nora and her fellow Soul Sisters in desperate need of carnal satisfaction from a ‘big strong man’.
The yearning was echoed in a reggae-fied interpretation of the calypso standard, ‘The Same Thing That You Gave To Daddy’, which she cut soon after as a solo singer for Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. By contrast, the producer also had Nora form part of the Upsetter Pilgrims congregation that backed Busty Brown on the gospel-flavoured ‘A Testimony’.
1969 also saw her participate one of the finest ‘girl group’ reggae sides of the era, ‘Let Me Tell You Boy’, produced by Harry Mudie at the famed Studio One in Brentford Road in which Nora had cut her first sides.
The track, which saw issue on the producer’s Moodisc label, credited the singer and her fellow Soul Sisters (most likely Soulette Cecille Campbell and another friend remembered only as Dawn) as the Ebony Sisters ‘ a name that would regularly appear on records over the ensuing years, although Nora‘s involvement in them is open to question.
Also from this time was the greatly overlooked ‘Look Over Your Shoulder’, produced by former Skatalite, Tommy McCook for his Blue Canary imprint, which was released in the UK on Trojan‘s Jackpot subsidiary.
Nora undoubtedly encountered McCook at Duke Reid‘s famed Treasure Isle studio in Bond Street, where late in ’69, under the auspices of in-house engineer, Byron Smith, she voiced what became her biggest hit, ‘Barbwire’.
Cut over the rhythm of the Techniques‘ rock steady classic, ‘You Don’t Care’, the song saw the singer return to familiar territory, as in between emotional wails of ‘oh mama’ and ‘ay, ya, ya’, she relates the story of a boy with ‘barbwire in his underpants’.
Regarded by its makers as something of a novelty, the record, with its dubious meaning and irresistible vocal hooks, became a major hit after being issued on Smith‘s Baron’s label, despite the complete lack of radio play. The scenario was echoed in the UK, where it became a dancefloor favourite and one of Trojan‘s top sellers, although as with most of the company’s releases, unlisted record sales prevented major chart action.
According to Nora‘s own recollections for the Jamaican Gleaner, she spent four hours voicing the track and received just ??30 over a 9 month period for the song, despite significant worldwide sales.
Despite this, soon after she returned to Treasure Isle to record ‘Ay Ay Ay’ (aka ‘Angie La La’), one of the most haunting Jamaican-produced recordings of all time. Over a sparse juddering rhythm, punctuated by whistles, kisses and ecstatic moans, Nora created an image of a secret, passionate liaison in the depths of the jungle, as she sung in an unidentified tongue before fervently asking her lover where he has been all her life.
Later in the year, she reunited with her Soul Sisters to cut a pleasing version of Carla Thomas‘ ‘Another Night’ for Coxson Dodd, while a solo session for Sonia Pottinger around this time produced a couple of fine mento-come-calypso offerings, ‘Must Get A Man’ and ‘The Valet’.
There followed a brief spell with Rita Marley‘s Soulettes, with whom she recorded a best-selling version of ‘Let It Be’ for Lee Perry, although by the end of 1970 she was back to recording primarily as a solo artist.
From this period Nora recorded ‘Love Of A Boy’, ‘The Retreat Song’ (aka ‘Ahmad Jamal’) and ‘Want Man’ (all for Randy’s Records) – with the latter seeing her revisit a now common theme of a woman in dire need of an equally amorous partner – along with the Bunny Lee-produced ‘Greedy Boy’, in which the roles were reversed.
Other works from this time included ‘Miss Annie Oh’, I’m The Same Woman’ and ‘Butterfly’ for Fud Christian, along with a one-off single for Derrick Alonso Silent (aka Sir Derrick), ‘Love & Power To The People’ c/w ‘I Shall Be Free’, although arguably her finest work from this time is her sublime version of ‘Peace Begins Within’, a song penned by Mylon Lefevre, but made popular in Jamaica by R&B singer, Bobby Powell.
In 1972, a session for Ranny Williams spawned a playful version of Shirley Bassey‘s cha-cha-based pop hit, ‘Kiss Me Honey Honey’, although the year is perhaps most notable for her work with Bunny Lee, for whom she recorded almost exclusively over the next few years.
Their collaborations reflected a mix of influences and highlighted a variety of subjects, as reflected in the titles of their most notable singles: ‘Night Food Reggae’, ‘Mama’, ‘Man A Walk & Talk’, ‘How Could You Do This’, ‘Scorpion (In His Underpants)’, ‘Don’t Let Me Know’, ‘What Will Be Will Be (Que Sera Sera)’ and ‘Never Trust A Guardie Again’.
In between her sessions with Lee, Nora cut the excellent ‘Mama’ for Harry Johnson over the popular ‘Liquidator’ rhythm and a cover of Minnie Ripperton‘s ‘Loving You’ entitled ‘My Love For You’, for Randy’s, neither of which managed to gain international distribution.
In 1975, a visit to the UK spawned the single ‘Album Of Memory’ c/w ‘How Could You Do This (To Me)’ with London-based band, Dansak, which saw issue on Trojan‘s Horse subsidiary, while early the following year, a one-off recording session with Alvin ‘G.G.’ Ranglin produced the soulful ‘Don’t Let Me Know’.
Soon after, Nora emigrated to the US, settling in New York City where she married a fellow Jamaican ex-pat and joined the Times Square Church, the choir of which she quickly became a key member.
After a spell away from the studio, she returned in fine style in 1978 with a 12′ single that coupled an updated version of ‘Let Me Tell You Boy’ with an equally compelling interpretation of ‘Suspicious Minds’, retitled ‘Caught In A Trap’. Both sides featured on her long-awaited debut solo album, ‘Play Me A Love Song’, which saw issue in the UK on the Nationwide label a few years later.
Despite the quality of the collection, it proved to be the last Nora Dean release for some 15 years, as she concentrated on family, work and the church. Finally, in 1996, she resumed to her recording career, and over the next few years she cut a number of fine gospel albums, although a stroke in 2009 sadly brought her singing days to an end. The following year, she relocated to Connecticut, where she spent the next six years before sadly passing away at the age of 72 on 29th September 2016.
Laurence Cane-Honeysett
Reference: The Nora Dean Website