Roland Burrell was born in Pennants, Clarendon in Jamaica, Grew up in Trench Town, he met Bob Marley and Toots Hibbert who inspired and counseled him as he woul…d often ‘jam’ with them. During his growing artistic years, he sang with a group called The Shades, where he encountered Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, The Upsetter. Along with Conrad Brown, they produced “Lonely Man.” Thereafter, Roland quickly rose to fame when he recorded the Chartbuster “Johnny Dollar,”which topped the Jamaican charts in Europe, USA and Japan. He recorded his first album, “Johnny Dollar” for Tanka Records which included the hit songs “Hey Mama” and “Stormy Night.” He has several other albums to his credit, including “Fling Reggae in Park Heights” with Admiral Tibbet, on the Sir Tommy’s Label, “Intelligency” on the Rambana Label and featured on numerous ‘various artists’ albums. He also recorded the Hip-Hop versions of “Stormy Night” and “Johnny Dollar” for Sly & Robbie’s Taxi Label and his recording of “Picture On The Wall” also tore up the reggae charts. Roland Burrell has also released “Roland Burrell – The Best of Roland Burrell,” Reggae Masters Series on the Prestige Recording Label. The album was produced by Tanka Hill along with Leon and John Corall. Musicians included Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Lloyd Parks, Flabba Holt, Bingi Bunny, Dean Fraser, Ansel Collins and Bongo Herman, with backing vocals provided by The Tamlins and Roland himself. His many hits have given him the opportunity to tour extensively and this has resulted in many sold-out performances in Toronto and throughout the Eastern Caribbean, where his music has impacted on both Caribbean nationals as well as international audiences.
