Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Russell was one of 15 siblings. Her elder brother, Robert, is better known as Brigadier Jerry, and by her mid-teens, she would occasionally perform on the Twelve Tribes of Israel soundsystem Jahlovemuzik sound system that she worked with, and worked for three years on the Stereophonic sound system with General Echo. Sister Nancy was born in a conservative household in Kingston. She was expected to perform conservative duties such as being an elder of the community and promote socially conservative values such as staying in the household, be drug-free, and family oriented.Early on, she rebelled against her traditional values and followed her brother Brigadier Jerry in DJing. She was repeatedly dissuaded from DJing and encouraged to pursue Christian music by her father. When she was a teenager, she got into Dancehall. She was the only girl to show up to dance. The family norms did not appeal to her and she ran away from home for months at a time. Nancy followed DJ Junior Chalice around Jamaica and in St. Thomas was given a chance by him to DJ. She is quoted from an interview as saying, ” Me never nervous again after that. That was 15. When I was 16 I say, “Alright, I go step up me thing.”. In 1980, producer Winston Riley was the first to take her into the studio, resulting in her first single, “Papa Dean” for his Techniques label. Russell-Myers went on to perform at Reggae Sunsplash, making her the first female deejay ever to perform there, and she is also the first female Jamaican deejay to tour internationally. She had further success with singles such as “One Two”, “Money Can’t Buy Me Love”, “Transport Connection” and “Bam Bam”. Her debut album, One Twowas released in 1982. She went on to work with producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes, recording “A No Any Man Can Test Sister Nancy”, “Bang Belly”, and a collaboration with Yellowman, “Jah Mek Us Fe A Purpose”. She continued to appear live, sometimes on Jahlove Music with her brother. The sound system toured internationally, with both Sister Nancy and Brigadier Jerry making their debut UK performances at the Brixton Town Hall, London in 1982.In 1996, she relocated to New Jersey. In an interview with The Jamaica Observer in 2002, Russell said that although she was working in the banking sector, that “music is [her] first love” and said she still performs “every now and then”. She explained that her absence from the recording scene was due to her wanting to “give other female artists a chance”, though she said she was still “as ready as the first day [she] came into the business”. The Observer cited Russell a role model for a successive generation of female acts, including Lady Saw, Sister Carol, Macka Diamond, Lady G, Shelly Thunder, Carla Marshall, Lorna G, Lady English, and Lady P.
Sister Nancy, aka Muma Nancy, real name Ophlin Russell, (born on 2 January 1962) is a Jamaican 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”, labeled as a “well-known reggae anthem” by BBC and a “classic” by The Observer.