Audley Rollen keeps it original with ‘Close to You’
In the music video for his song, Close to You, Audley Rollen ‘plays’ a Fender guitar. For the veteran singer, the instrument is more than a prop.
The guitar has been his guide to composing songs for many years. It was no different with Close to You.
“Sometimes it’s personal (when writing songs), but sometimes it’s not. For example, when writing I sometimes think about a situation that someone else might be in, or a desire that someone else may have and utilize that thought to be creative and write a song, but then again sometimes writing is personal for me,” Rollen explained. “But I must tell you that I prefer to be original and so I always think first to be creative, and that’s why I have not covered a lot of songs, it’s just not my thing.”
Close to You is from I Need You, Rollen’s album which came out in July, 2022. It also produced a sizable hit in Never Knew Love Till You.
The video was shot in Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.
An ordained minister of religion, the South Florida-based Rollen has been recording music for over 50 years.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was a member of The Hippy Boys, The Emotions and Youth Professionals along with future Wailers drum and bass team, Carlton Barrett and Aston “Family Man” Barrett, and bass player Robbie Shakespeare.
Howard Campbell