In 1956, a forgotten doo-wop group threw away a single. In 1964, it helped introduced ska and reggae to British audiences

Millie Small’s 1964 version of “My Boy Lollipop” brought Jamaican ska and reggae rhythms to a broad British audience, helping Caribbean music gain a place in the charts. Its success also reflected the growing cultural influence of the Windrush generation, at a time when racism remained widespread in British society.

The song began as a doo-wop composition by Robert Spencer, intended for his group the Cadillacs, but he sold it to record executive Morris Levy. Levy removed Spencer’s songwriting credit and gave the song to 14-year-old Barbie Gaye, whose 1956 recording found local success in New York. Chris Blackwell later heard it, suggested it to Small, and her single reached number two in the UK charts.