"
Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a 1980 single by jazz trumpeter
Tom Browne. The single -- a memoir of the neighborhood in the
New York City borough of
Queens where Browne was born and raised -- is from his second solo album,
Love Approach. Browne got the idea for the song while he was at his parents' home. The vocals for the single were provided by Toni Smith (Thomassina Carrollyne Smith), who also helped compose the song. The song hit number one on the U.S. R&B chart for a month. "Funkin' for Jamaica" peaked at number nine on the dance chart and made the Top 10 on the UK singles chart.