TO say that singer Susan Cadogan is unsung in Jamaica would be an understatement. A staple of British lovers rock in the 1970s, she feels her music is more appreciated overseas.

“I don’t think I get the recognition in Jamaica. When Hurt So Good was on the British charts, you had articles in the [local] newspaper. Some of the songs that I did were played on the radio, but no one knew who I was,” Cadogan told the Jamaica Observer.

“If I really had the drive or support of a manager, I probably would’ve done better. Music is a very complicated and unjust profession,” she continued.

The success of her 1974 version of It Hurt So Good (released as Hurt So Good) brought not only joy but some amount of heartache.

Originally recorded in 1971 by Katie Love and the Four Shades of Black, It Hurt So Good was not a hit until American soul singer Millie Jackson put her spin on the track. It sailed to 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973, thanks to its inclusion in the blaxploitation action film Cleopatra Jones.

Cadogan’s version peaked at number four on the British singles charts in the summer of 1974. She explained how the life-changing recording came about.

“A friend of mine at the time, Theresa, had a boyfriend DJ Jerry Lewis who worked at the JBC library and he wrote a song called Love My Life that he wanted her to sing. She was shy and said: ‘Let Anne sing it’. Anne was what they used to call me. So we went down to the studio which was called Black Ark; but in those days, I was more into soul music than reggae. So, I sang Love My Life and after we finished the recording, Lee “Scratch” Perry — who was the engineer who worked on the track — told Jerry that he liked my voice and then he said listen to this song It Hurt So Good. He asked if I could sing it. He then asked me what my name was, and I said: ‘I am Anne Cadogan’. He said: ‘Susan is a sexier name’. He spelt it Suzanne and that’s what he put on the record Suzanne Cadogan,” she said.

Perry, who was signed to Trojan Records as a producer at the time, released Cadogan’s version of Hurt So Good in the United Kingdom via Trojan. However, upon the song’s release there, the spelling of her name was changed to Susan.

“Perry attempted to release Hurt So Good out in Jamaica. He took someone else’s voice off the recording and replaced it with my voice. My Hurt So Good was not a hit in Jamaica,” she recalled.

Weeks after recording Hurt So Good, she began receiving telephone calls from England.

“I started to get all these telephone calls about the record from people in England, and that I needed to do a television show. So, I went over to England and Perry was quite upset. I remembered asking the people, what about Perry?” said Cadogan.

Pete Waterman (who today is regarded as one of the most successful songwriters having penned hits for Rick Astley, Kylie Minogue, Donna Summer, Cliff Richard, Jason Donovan and Bananarama under the team Stock Aitken Waterman) was working as an A&R with British label Magnum Records. He got wind of Cadogan’s version of Hurt So Good and took it to the label. The label jumped behind the song and took it straight into the British charts. However, that brought into play some legal issues.

“It looks like Perry sent the song to England and it was released there and Pete Waterman, a music mogul heard it and took it to Magnet Records. He thought it had potential and it was sold to Magnet who took it over. Within three days, I was performing on Top of the Pops (a highly rated pop music show),” Cadogan explained.

“I was surprised at the success of the song, but I took it in stride. I didn’t realise the magnitude of what was happening with all this attention. I was living at the Holiday Inn hotel for three months and driving around in a Rolls Royce and wearing fur coats. I kept asking them for Mr Perry and they said not to worry, he will soon join us. When he did, he came to the hotel and said if I ever signed with Magnet, he would ensure I didn’t get a cent from the record. And, so said, so done. He was blue mad, but it was his fault. He had a deal with Trojan and he sold the song to Magnet, so they had a very big court case. Trojan won back the record from Magnet. So, I had to sign with Magnet and record a version of Hurt So Good for them. To go onto Top of the Pops, you had to re-record the song with the BBC orchestra for copyright’s sake. You can tell the difference between Perry’s version of Hurt So Good, different from the Magnet version that I performed on Top of the Pops,” she continued.

Hurt So Good was certified silver in the United Kingdom and gold in South Africa.

The follow-up single to Hurt So Good was Love Me Baby, written and produced by Waterman. It reached number 25 on the British charts in July 1975.

Magnet released Cadogan’s debut album Doing it Her Way, while Trojan released the self-titled Susan Cadogan with songs Perry produced.

“The album for Magnet, I recorded it in London with a big orchestra. It was produced by Waterman and it’s probably his only reggae album to date. They wanted to use Perry’s music but they were so annoyed over what had happened. So, to me, if Perry’s music had been the follow-up to Hurt So Good with the authentic Jamaican sound, I would’ve done better back then and Magnet would’ve had Perry’s album,” Cadogan shared.

“When I go to London, I do so many interviews with the BBC but out here, it’s so different. I’ve performed in Jamaica; I did shows with Fab 5 in the 1980s and even at Skateland,” she continued.

In the early 1980s, Cadogan recorded covers of Tracks of My Tears (number two on JBC Top 30 chart) and Piece of My Heart. Produced by radio jock Owen Brown, both songs were well-received. Cadogan even won the JBC Radio Female Artiste of the Year award.

“People knew the songs but not the singer. I even did a duet with Ruddy Thomas which was a cover of You Know How to Make Me Feel Good which did well in England. I also did a cover of Roberta Flack’s Only Heaven Can Wait, Love Me Please, and Feel So Good, all of which did well on the Black Echoes chart in England,” she said.

Cadogan (given name Allison Anne Cadogan) was born in Kingston. She resided in Belize for sometime, then several places in Jamaica, including Montego Bay in St James, and Ellesmere Road in Kingston.

The daughter of a Methodist church minister, Rev Claude Cadogan and singer Lola Cadogan, Susan attended Barracks Primary in Montego Bay and later the St Andrew High School for Girls. She went to Excelsior High for sixth form.

Between 1973 and 2001, Cadogan worked as the assistant librarian at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus. She resigned a few times during that period to focus on her music career.

“I knew I had to earn a living and I wasn’t earning from music,” she said.

Cadogan performs at least three times yearly in Europe, where she has a strong fan base. However, the global impact of the coronavirus novel pandemic put a lid on performing since early 2020.

She continues to record new music.

“Last weekend I recorded a song with Shalom, who had that big hit I’ve Got News for You. I have a song coming out later this month which is a cover of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable with Italian band The Magnetics. I also did some work with a German producer which is a cover of an Amy Winehouse song. You feel so flattered when someone calls you out and tells you that you have such a different sound, you have your own sound,” said Cadogan.

To date, she has released 11 studio albums.