Dawn Penn

Dawn Penn

Dawn Penn, born Dawn Pickering in Kingston, Jamaica in 1952, is a Jamaican reggae singer associated with reggae and rocksteady. She begins recording in the 1960s and is best known for a song first cut in 1967, “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)”. Produced by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One, it becomes her signature recording.

Early career and first recordings

Penn records “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” as a rocksteady single in 1967. The track is issued through Studio One and becomes one of the best-known songs in her catalogue.

Break from music and return

In 1970 she leaves the music industry and moves to the Virgin Islands. She returns to Jamaica and to music in 1987.

Later success and influence

In 1994 she re-records and re-releases “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” with production by Steely & Clevie. The song reaches the top of the charts in the United States, Europe and Jamaica. It is later sampled by Kano, Hexstatic, Jae Millz, Ghostface Killah and Rihanna, with those versions retitled “No, No, No” except for Ghostface Killah’s “New Splash”. Lily Allen also samples “You Don’t Love Me” in “LDN”.