REGGAE singer Dobby Dobson has just released his first novel The Misadventures of Saucy and Her Mama.

The digital book — available on Amazon, iPad and other e-outlets — traces the adventure of fictional characters Mama and Saucy seeking the American Dream.

Dobson said the inspiration for the book came from watching mothers leave the island, in search of a better life, while children are left in the care of grandparents, aunts and other close relatives.

“Some believe barrels of food and clothing actually compensate for the parental absence. That is not true,” said Dobson, whose given name is Highland Ralph Dobson.

Saucy’s journey takes her to Brooklyn, New York in the decade of the 70s into the early 80s.

“As readers follow her story, they will experience the travails of parental over-protection, the joys of young love, the pain of deception and yet are able to rejoice in the beauty of self-worth, and good winning out over all else,” Dobson said.

Nicknamed ‘Loving Pauper’ after one of his better known songs, Dobson started singing in the early 50s and recorded hit songs such as That Wonderful Sound and Mexican Divorce.

Dobson had stints with legendary producers Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid, recording as a member of both The Virtues and The Sheiks. His signature song, Loving Pauper was done for Reid.

Dobson, despite making a name for himself in the music business, kept his day job as a salesman and proofreader for The Jamaican Gleaner.

His big break came in 1971, when he recorded That Wonderful Sound for Rupie Edwards, which sold over 40,000 copies in the Caribbean, and was followed up by Endlessly, which created waves in the UK.

He migrated to the United States in 1979.

In August of this year, he was conferred with the Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD) for his contribution to reggae music and Jamaican culture.