Tony Roy Puts Reggae Touch to Blues Track 'There is Something on Your Mind'

A bluesy, horn-hooked song first released in 1957, There Is Something on Your Mind has been covered by diverse artists such as Etta James, B.B. King and Conway Twitty. Recently, Jamaican Tony Roy put a reggae touch to the track, originally done by American saxophonist Big Jay McNeely.

Roy’s version is produced by Wayne Holness, the man who guided him on I’d Love You to Want Me and Flying Machine, his previous songs. Like those tracks, There Is Something on Your Mind is also in the South Florida Reggae Chart, compiled by veteran broadcaster Clinton Lindsay.

The Maryland-based Roy says it was Lindsay’s idea that he cover There Is Something on Your Mind, which has been popular in Jamaica for many years.

“To tell the truth, I wasn’t very familiar with the song, but when I heard it, I said, ‘yeah, I can do something with this’,” he recalled.

There Is Something on Your Mind is number 22 in its second week on the South Florida Reggae Chart, moving up from 25.  

Roy is not the first Jamaican to cover There Is Something on Your Mind. Hubert Lee cut a version of the song in the early 1970s, which was a hit in Britain’s West Indian community.

I’d Love You to Want Me is a cover of American singer Lobo’s 1972 hit. Flying Machine was originally done by British star Cliff Richard, but made popular in Jamaica by Teddy Magnus, a celebrated broadcaster in that country.

Tony Roy recently filmed a video for Flying Machine in Jamaica.