Anyone who frequented the McGregor Gully region of east Kingston, Jamaica during the early 1970’s, are more than likely familiar with The Emotions, a promising harmony group. Among its members was lead singer Audley Rollen.
For all their talent, The Emotions never made it big. But Rollen had a handful of hit songs including Repatriation and Shy Girl. He is still going strong, having topped the South Florida Reggae Chart with Never Knew Love Till You.
Co-produced by Rollen and his wife Dawn-Marie Wisdom, the rock steady-flavored track stayed at number one for three straight weeks in June and July.
“It feels great to have a number one song, but to have an original song at number one is especially great. Now, I’ve had number one songs before; as a matter of fact, I can recall in the early ‘90’s, having three songs in the Top 10 all at the same time,” said Rollen. “They were Things in Life, Hot Stuff, and Too Hot to Handle, not to mention Shy Girl and Between The Sheets, but to have a number one song after 50 years in the business tells me that I’m still relevant, and my music is meeting people where they are, and they love it and that’s gratifying.”
Though he became a Christian almost 20 years ago and is an ordained pastor, Rollen has never shed his reggae garb. For Never Knew Love Till You, he revisited the rock steady sounds he grew up on in Jamaica.
“Never Knew Love Till You is a very special song because it transcends boundaries, there is something in it for everyone. It’s timeless, it’s one of those songs you could enjoy listening to all day long, the more you listen the better it sound, and it’ll be around for a very long time,” he said.
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