Sister Nancy

Sound systems to One, Two

Ophlin Russell was born on January 2, 1962 in Kingston and grew up in St Andrew. She started DJing on sound systems in her mid-teens, first with Jahlovemuzik and then for three years with Stereophonic alongside General Echo. She told NME in 2018 that seeing Brigadier Jerry DJ made her think that if he could do it then she could too. Her first single, "Papa Dean", for Winston Riley's Techniques label, is dated 1980 by Wikipedia and 1979 by another source; early singles, per her account, included "Money Can't Buy Me Love", "Proud A We", "One Two" and "Transport Connection", and "One Two" took off and led to the album.

In the early 1980s she was the first woman to play Reggae Sunsplash and the first female Jamaican DJ to tour internationally, according to the A.V. Club. Her first UK shows were at Brixton Town Hall in 1982 with Brigadier Jerry. That year came One, Two on Techniques and The Yellow, The Purple and The Nancy on Greensleeves, shared with Yellowman, Fathead and Purpleman. Later in the 1980s she worked with Henry Junjo Lawes, on tracks such as "A No Any Man Can Test Sister Nancy" and "Bang Belly", and with Yellowman, and recorded for King Jammy, Bobby Digital and Shocking Vibes into the early 1990s. She did not perform "Bam Bam" on a Jamaican stage for eight years, until the 1990 Sting competition.

In 1996 she moved to New Jersey and New York, earned an accountancy degree and worked in a bank for about sixteen years. Later releases include Sister Nancy Meets Fireproof (Special Potato, 2001 or 2007), "Originality" on Thievery Corporation's Versions (2006) and Armageddon with Mad Professor on Ariwa. The A.V. Club wrote in 2014 about the revival of "Bam Bam", and Jay-Z's "Bam" (2017, with Damian Marley) brought her into its video, shot in Jamaica. Alison Duke's documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story premiered at Tribeca in June 2024. One Two vinyl reissues from VPAL and Techniques followed in 2025, and "Bam Bam" was certified UK Gold in May 2026. Lady Saw, Sister Carol, Macka Diamond, Lady G and Shelly Thunder are among those who have cited her as a role model, per Wikipedia.