Film Screening:
Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (2024), dir. Alison Duke
May 15
Doors: 6:00 PM | Film begins: 6:30 PM
Heather Edwards Theatre
The iconic track “Bam Bam” has become a timeless reggae anthem and one of the most sampled songs in music history. But the powerful voice behind the hit — and the remarkable story of the woman who sang it — remains largely unknown.
In Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story, award-winning filmmaker Alison Duke brings Sister Nancy’s legacy to life through electric tour footage, intimate interviews with artists like Janelle Monáe, Young Guru, and Pete Rock, and rare archival glimpses into the roots of the dancehall movement.
Uplifting and unforgettable, this documentary celebrates a trailblazing artist whose voice broke barriers and whose story is a testament to resilience, authenticity, and the transformative power of music.
FREE with registration.
GIVEAWAY: All registered attendees will be automatically entered to win a pair of tickets to the LOOK25 Gala: Noir Nouveau Cabaret (value: $600), where Sister Nancy will headline a live performance! *You must be in attendance at the screening to be eligible to win.
This film is presented in collaboration with LOOK25 Gala: Noir Nouveau, presented by MAWER, featuring headline performer Sister Nancy. Special thanks to our Entertainment Sponsor, Cowboys Music Festival, for their generous support.
About Sister Nancy
Sister Nancy, aka Muma Nancy, real name Ophlin Russell-Myers, (born Ophlin Russell, 2 January 1962, Kingston, Jamaica) is a dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a “dominating female voice for over two decades” on the dancehall scene. One of her most famous songs is “Bam Bam”, labelled as a “well-known reggae anthem” by BBC and a “classic” by The Observer.
First recorded in 1982, Sister Nancy’s Bam Bam took inspiration for its chorus from the Toots And The Maytals’ 1966 song of the same name, while its instrumental sampled Ansel Collins’ 1974 song Stalag 17. The song was produced by Winston Riley and appeared on Nancy’s One, Two album.
Billboard Magazine once noted that Nancy’s “Bam Bam is a strong contender for the title of most sampled reggae song of all time,” while the Rolling Stone cited the song’s extensive list of samples when the publication ranked it at No. 454 on their updated “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list in 2021.
According to WhoSampled, there are 128 songs that have sampled Sister Nancy’s tune, including Famous by Kanye West and Rihanna, BAM by Jay-Z and Damian Marley, Lost Ones by Lauryn Hill, Bomb by Chris Brown featuring Wiz Khalifa, and Do To Me by H.E.R.
