'Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story' celebrates the life of first woman dancehall DJ
March 10, 2025
While some might view cold calls as rude and intrusive, they can sometimes lead to excellent opportunities and outcomes.
Award-winning film director/writer/producer Alison Duke received an unexpected call while working late one night from DJ Mossman who, with fellow Canadian DJ Chocolate, have collaborated with veteran reggae artist Sister Nancy over the years.
“I hear you make music documentaries over there and I want you to do this film about Sister Nancy,” were his first words recalled the OYA Media Group co-founder who launched her creative career by making music videos. “I was like, ‘Is she still alive’? He insisted I do the project and said Sister Nancy would like me.”
After digesting the request, Duke saw a potential project that could be successful and reached out to Sister Nancy whose signature song, ‘Bam Bam’, is one of reggae’s most sampled songs, yet few people know the singer behind its most recognizable version.
“We hit it off right away,” she said of the first phone meeting.
Nearly six years later, the documentary – Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story – made its Toronto premiere.
Making movies and documentaries is time-consuming and can take years.
Just as filming was about to start in March 2020, the COVID pandemic hit and productions were halted because of safety concerns.
“We were scheduled to start shooting at an event held in conjunction with the South by Southwest Film Festival in Texas,” said Duke who was the first Black woman to direct a Heritage Minute for Historica Canada in 2021. “When that show got cancelled, we knew that COVID was real. I had to figure out how to do a remote shoot with her.”
Before the pandemic, Sister Nancy had 40 booked tours.
“I thought I could tell a movie about her touring, but there had to be other pieces to fill in,” Duke, who executive produced ‘Evil By Design: Surviving Nygard’, a three-part docu-series for CBC Docs, pointed out. “Because she didn’t have a lot of archives, I thought I could do some recreations and make it like a dancehall culture.”
With limited access to archival footage, the filmmaker came up with creative solutions, including reimaging aspects of Sister Nancy’s childhood and life through original footage.
“I love the finished product because it has a lot of energy with structure,” Duke said.
Of the dozens of projects she has produced in the last three decades, the Sister Nancy Story is at the top.
“I think it is my best film because people get to see what I could do as a filmmaker when there are not many constraints,” said Duke who produced the Akua Benjamin Legacy digital web series project in 2016 that celebrates the work of six deceased Black Canadian community activists. “I wrote it, directed it and am a co-producer. OYA Media owns the film and it is the first one we are distributing.”
The documentary mixes dynamic tour performances and insightful interviews with industry figures, including Michie Mee, Pete Rock, Young Guru and Janelle Monae and archival footage of the early dancehall scene to create a comprehensive portrait of Sister Nancy’s enduring prominence in reggae and hip hop.
“It is important to shine light on pioneers who have come before me, who have blazed trails and who have taken our music to the next level,” said Monae who is singer/songwriter/actress.
Sister Nancy’s music transcends boundaries, resonating with diverse audiences around the world from reggae and hip-hop enthusiasts to music lovers.
“It means the world to me to share my story,” she said at a special screening at the Toronto International Film Festival Lightbox. “Not every artist gets the opportunity to do that and I am so glad it happened. I am thankful to the OYA Media Group for choosing me to make a documentary. My story really needed to be told and watched…I do good music that uplift people. I will not stop until I can’t do it anymore.”
Grammy-nominated Sister Carol joined Sister Nancy on the red carpet.
“The people love, still love Nancy and can’t stop love (her),” noted the Bachelor of Science in Education holder who has produced 19 albums in the last four decades.
Sister Nancy (c) with Dave Kingston, Ngardy Conteh George , Alison Duke and Sister Carol at the TIFF Lightbox screening (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Growing up in St. Andrew, older brother Brigadier Jerry was Sister Nancy’s inspiration.
The well-respected DJ among his peers was a member of the Twelve Tribes of Israel Rastafari group.
“When he just come in the yard, he always go to the bathroom,” Sister Nancy said. “I would go close by with my pen and paper and write whatever I could get from him without him knowing I doing it. Sometimes, I didn’t get it the perfect way he says it. But I get it and do my best to make it the way I want it. He is the one that made it possible for me.”
The Jamaican ska and rocksteady group, Toots and the Maytals, released the original ‘Bam Bam’ in 1966 that won the island’s inaugural Independence Festival Song competition.
Running out of lyrics to complete her ‘One, Two’ debut album in 1982, Sister Nancy accepted an invitation from Yellowman – who she was working with at the time – to accompany him and the late Fathead to Harry J Recording studio where they were scheduled to do a track.
Yellowman and Fathead collaborated in the early 1980s, producing the first ever live dancehall album.
Their version of ‘Bam Bam’ blew her away.
“I called Winston Riley (her late producer) from the studio and told him I wanted to finish my album today,” Sister Nancy recounted. “When he asked what I have, I told him ‘Bam Bam’.
A few months after the album release, she came to Toronto for the first time and was featured in the third issue of the defunct Reggae Quarterly magazine co-published by photographer/reggae historian Beth Lesser and reggae disc jockey Dave Kingston who hosted ‘Reggae Showcase’ on CKLN.
On behalf of OYA Media Group, TIFF Community Impact Co-ordinator Ruth Masuka presented a framed photo of Sister Nancy relaxing in a wicker chair at Beth Lesser (she took the photo) & Dave Kingston’s apartment during her first visit to Canada in 1982 (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Unaware of the song’s popularity after relocating to New Jersey in 1996, Sister Nancy held an accounting position at a bank for 14 years while doing gigs and touring on weekends and during vacations.
After learning she had rights to her songs, she reached out to Riley to discuss royalties. Though promising to meet, he failed to show up.
Not long after, Sister Nancy learnt from her daughter that her version of ‘Bam Bam’ was in a Reebok commercial.
The song has also been sampled in tracks by Lauryn Hill, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa and Too Short.
Seeking legal advice, Sister Nancy received 10 years of royalties and obtained 50 percent of the rights to the song that topped the iTunes Reggae Chart in 2015.
Financially stable, she quit her bank job a decade ago and is now focused on making music and doing shows.
For young musicians trying to make their way in the industry, Sister Nancy has a word of advice.
“Before you even get to the stage, ensure that you know something about the business,” she said. “Take care of that before you go to the studio.”
Although some may argue that reggae is not as mainstream as it once was, the veteran dancehall artist said the genre is alive.
“It is not where I want it to be,” Sister Nancy pointed out. “Everyone deserves to do what they want. I do not blend, mix or dilute. I try to be original as best as I can to keep it the way it should be. That is the right way.”
With DJ Chocolate spinning, Sister Nancy performed after the screening of the documentary (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Duke and Ngardy Conteh George founded OYA Media Group in 2018 to create groundbreaking content that entertains and sparks meaningful conversations.
“Working with Alison is a masterclass,” said George who attended the University of New Orleans on a track & field scholarship before turning her focus to film production. “She is such an amazing talent and visionary. This production demonstrates what she can do when given space to make her magic.”
‘Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story’ is in select theatres across Canada and streaming on Crave.
