Artist

Audrey Hall

Genre: Reggae
Origin: U.S.A
Listen on Coda
Born around 1948 in Jamaica, Audrey Hall entered a studio for the first time alongside Dandy Livingstone. He had already cut sides as Sugar And Dandy with Tito Simon, and the popularity of earlier pairings such as Jackie Edwards And Millie Small, Keith And Enid, and Derrick And Patsy encouraged the formation of Dandy And Audrey. Their 1969 single “Morning Side Of The Mountain” prompted Trojan Records to issue an album of the same title. Capitalizing on that momentum, Trojan assembled the 1970 collection I Need You, drawing several tracks from the earlier LP, among them “Storybook Children,” “Once Upon A Time,” and “I Need You.” Livingstone also oversaw Hall’s solo outings for his Down Town label, including her readings of the Toys’ “A Lover’s Concerto” and Barbara Lynn’s “You’ll Lose A Good Thing.” For a time it appeared her career as a lead artist had stalled in Jamaica, so she took work as a session vocalist beside her sister Pam Hall. Fifteen years after her debut, Hall staged a return in 1985 with the Donovan Germain–produced reply “One Dance Won’t Do” to Beres Hammond’s hit “What One Dance Can Do,” which climbed into the pop Top 20. “The Best Thing For Me” followed, yet it was “Smile” that again registered on the pop chart. The following year she resumed duet work, this time with Don Evans—also known as Tyrone Evans and formerly of the Paragons—resulting in the single “Heart Made Of Stone” and the Trojan album The Dynamic Duo.