Getting that big summer hit is the dream of most artistes and producers. For Nadine Sutherland, Terror Fabulous and Dave Kelly, that smash came with Action in 1993.

It is the biggest seller for Sutherland, who will be awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) on October 21. The 56 year-old singer will accept Jamaica’s fifth-highest honour during the National Honours and Awards ceremony at the National Indoor Sports Arena in Kingston.

A remix of Action peaked at number 43 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart one year after its release. Much of the song’s success in the United States was due to heavy rotation on West Indian radio in the tri-state (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) area.

Jamaican disc jockey Clinton Lindsay, who was an influential figure on WNWK radio station, told Observer Online that Action had potential to cross over into the pop market.

“At the time, Dave Kelly was one of the hottest producers in the business with his Madhouse label. Action became an instant hit on WNWK and on the chart. It stayed eight weeks at number one and ended up being the number one record of the year in 1993. All the major DJs played their parts in making it a hit,” he recalled.

In 1996, Action was named Song Of The Year at Lindsay’s Tamika Reggae Awards, held at Madison Square Garden.

The song sparked a resurgence for Sutherland whose career started in 1979 when she won the Tastee Talent Contest as an 11 year-old. In the mid and late 1990s, she also scored with Baby Face, Wicked Dickie (with Buju Banton) and the multi-artiste, Anything For You.

That endurance has earned her the OD, along with five others from the entertainment industry. They are deejays Glendon “Admiral Bailey” Bailey, Moses “Beenie Man” Davis and Rodney “Bounty Killer” Price, opera singer Dr Curtis Watson and actress Audrey Reid.