It’s been almost 20 years since Audley Rollen decided to turn his back on the ‘world’ and give his life to God. There have been challenges, but the veteran singer has no regrets.
An ordained minister of religion, Rollen continues to give praise to the Lord with “Never Knew Love Till You”, an inspirational song he co-produced and wrote with his wife Dawn-Marie Wisdom.
“My faith had everything to do with writing and recording this song. Faith allowed me to experience God’s love and it comforted me in knowing that the unconditional love of God is above all,” said Rollen.
He added that, “The message in this song is this; try not to have unrealistic expectations of others, because they are not perfect and neither are you.”
The South Florida-based Rollen worked with a solid cast of musicians for “Never Knew Love Till You” including keyboardist Jason Farmer, hornmen Jerry Johnson and Howard Perry and guitarist Dwayne Hoilette.
Audley Rollen enjoyed a solid career as a secular artist. He grew up in Jones Town, Greenwich Farm and East Kingston in Jamaica, working-class areas which helped shape his sound.
He was a member of The Emotions, a harmony quartet which also included Leroy Brown, Milton Henry and Lloyd Shakespeare, older brother of famed bass player Robbie Shakespeare. As a solo act, Rollen had a big hit song in 1971 with the Lloyd “Matador” Daley-produced “Repatriation”, and recorded a handful of solo albums.
Personal loss influenced his embrace of Christianity in 2002. Since then, he has recorded spiritual albums such as “Room at The Cross” and “He Has Made A Way”.
Written By Howard Campbell