Phyllis Dillon was a Jamaican Rocksteady and Reggae singer. She was born in Linstead St Catherine on December 27, 1944 and died April 15, 2004.
Launch of Career
She started recording during the dawn of the Rocksteady genre in the year 1965 with producer Duke Reid. In 1966 she released her first single “Don’t Stay Away”. It was an original composition which featured the band Tommy McCook and the Supersonics. “Don’t Stay Away” went on to become her most popular song in her musical career. Another of her early original songs, “It’s Rocking Time” was later recorded by Alton Ellis as “Rocksteady”
Her greatest song however was “Perfidia”, recorded in 1967. It was a Rocksteady cover version of a song written in Spanish by Mexican composer Alberto Dominguez in 1939. Her other hits included duets recorded with Alton Ellis such as “Why Did You Leave Me To Cry” and “Remember The Sunday”.
Migrated to United States
At the end of 1967 she migrated to New York and started a career in banking. She returned to Jamaica at intervals to continue her recordings with Duke Reid where she released a number of singles such as “Don’t Touch My Tomato” and “Love Was All I Had”.
After she ended her music career in 1971, the following year in 1972, Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle record label released Dillon’s only original studio album “One Life To Live”
In 1991 she was invited to perform in Jamaica by Michael Bonnet, entertainment director of Oceana Hotel in Kingston. The show called “Get Ready Rocksteady” was held at the National Arena in Kingston. Subsequently she was invited on concert tours in United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.
Posthumous
In 2002 she was diagnosed with cancer. After two years battle with the disease she died on April 15, 2004 in Long Island, New York.
In 2009 she was awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican government for her contribution to Jamaican music.
Original album
“One Life To Live” (1972) – Treasure Isle