JOHNNY Dollar, a hit song by singer Roland Burrell was the number one song in Jamaica during the summer of 1982. It topped the RJR and JBC-Radio One charts and remains Burrell’s biggest hit.

Produced by Alfred Hill, Johnny Dollar is a cover of A Quiet Place by American soul singer Garnet Mimms and The Enchanters. The original peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Wednesday, Burrell, who resides in Spanish Town, explained his decision to record a cover of A Quiet Place.

“It’s just an idea that came to me. At the yard that I was living at in Kingston, there was a couple there giving a lot of problems. They were always arguing and fighting. Whenever I was rehearsing music, they would turn up their radio to disturb me. So, I decided to flip the song and it became a big hit,” said the 71 year-old artiste.

Burrell is originally from Clarendon. He grew up listening to Ernest Wilson and Peter Austin of ska group The Clarendonians.

“I started doing music when I was a teenager and listening to The Clarendonians. I was always saying to myself that I want to become an artiste just like them,” Burrell recalled.

He relocated to Kingston to pursue his musical ambitions. Living in Trench Town, he met Bob Marley and Toots Hibbert who gave him inspiration and counselling as he would often “jam” with them. He later sang with a group named The Shades and also did background vocals for singer Stanley Beckford of Stanley and The Turbines fame.

Johnny Dollar was a follow-up to Stormy Night, Burrell’s breakthrough song which was recorded at Channel One in 1981. Released on Sly and Robbie’s Taxi label and distributed by Sonic Sounds, Johnny Dollar was an instant hit.

“The success of Johnny Dollar changed my life a lot. At least I could live without going out to do something else for a living. The song really put me out there and I did my first tour in Canada because of that song. I did a lot of shows in Jamaica, the Caribbean and in the United States,” Burrell disclosed.

He had another hit with Hey Mama, produced by E&J Records.

Burrell has released five studio albums and a compilation of his songs. He continues to record and release new music.