The original R&B version of The Girl in His Mind was written and performed by the American R&B singer Jerry Butler, appearing on his 1969 album The Sagittarius Movement.

Five years later, the song crossed over into reggae, immortalised by Jacob Miller, the charismatic original lead singer of the ‘Bad Boys of Reggae’ Inner Circle in a cover that would go on to become a genre staple. Now, 50 years on, Richie Stephens is putting his own stamp on the classic.

The release follows a string of hard-hitting singles from Stephens, including Wet Sugar, which reworks Steven “Lenky” Marsden’s legendary Diwali rhythm, and Trapped, a poignant tribute to Jimmy Cliff released in January 2026.

For this latest offering, Stephens teams up with Jamaican guitar legend Earl “Chinna” Smith — a musician whose fingerprints are all over the history of reggae and beyond. Since the late 1960s, Smith has played on more than 500 albums, working alongside icons like Bob Marley & The Wailers, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, Dennis Brown, and Burning Spear. His reach extends well past reggae’s borders. Smith’s guitar work appears on The Fugees, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, as well as on Amy Winehouse’s debut album, Frank.

Bringing “Chinna” Smith into the fold as producer for this reimagining of The Girl in His Mind links Stephens’ contemporary vision directly to reggae’s deepest roots — a fitting tribute to a song that has already crossed generations once before.

The track is available on all major streaming platforms.