St. Paul
Atlanta, Georgia, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
A talented musician and vocalist, she has been seeking to establish herself in the music industry for a while now. Finally, it's happening. But it is surely not the way Shae Miller would have wanted it.
The young lady from St Mary lost four members of her family in the Three Hills killings in April. Her aunt, Joan Llewellyn, remains hospitalised in Atlanta, paralysed from the neck down.
The event has cast some light on Miller, especially since she released a collaborative fund-raising CD with Atlanta-based artiste St Paul, (real name Paul Allen) of St Paul Music Connection (SPMC), for Llewellyn.
Publicity is coming but it's bittersweet, Miller acknowledged in an interview with The Sunday Gleaner recently.
"It's been hard. I didn't want it to happen this way at all," said Miller.
She said the incident took away two of her biggest fans, her cousin Jorgjhan (JJ) and her grandmother Rachael Brown.
"JJ was my biggest fan. JJ used to play my music so much that I would be sick of it, I'm telling you. And I just wish she was here to see what's happening, and grandma, you know, two of my biggest fans. So this is definitely not how I wanted it to go."
The Three Hills incident occurred just as SPMC and Barrington 'Scan' Martin of Bleeky Blong studio in Retreat, St Mary, were about to release their first album, Top 10 Love Jamaica.
This was put on hold while Miller and Allen recorded the tribute CD.
Top 10 Love Jamaica has been officially released and is already getting positive feedback.
The album features 20 tracks from a mix of seasoned campaigners and upcoming artistes.
Determine heads the list with a track called Mi Love You Bad. Jimmy Shandy's contribution is True Fren, both tracks on a rhythm titled 'The Child', the first rhythm produced at Bleeky Blong studio.
St Paul has four tracks including I Love Jamaica and Shae Miller has two tracks including Can't Leave.
Former Rising Star contestant Jermaine Michael teams up with Silver Ice on Don't Need Another, and Scan has two tracks including Money Can't.
Other artistes on the album include Faithfull, Fifty Stakes, Doc Gallingo, Yasheka, Frank Nitty, Massswa, Jah Son, and RG Fresh.
Said St Paul: "The album is designed around diversity, a little bit of Jamaican culture and a little blend of the Caribbean itself, that's why we come up with the title, Top 10 Love Jamaica."
- Jamaica Gleaner
Relatives of Joan Llewellyn, the lone survivor of the April 7 gun attack in Three Hills, St Mary, have launched a tribute album to raise funds towards her recovery.
Llewellyn's niece, Shae Miller, said her aunt, who is paralysed from the neck down, needs to be moved to Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, to aid in her recovery. She said the fees associated with her treatment there is appoximately US$60,000 (J$5 million) per month.
Shepherd Center is one of the top rehabilitation hospitals in the United States, specialising in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord or brain injury.
Joan Llewellyn has been in the United States for the past two weeks receiving treatment.
Her husband, police Corporal Wayne Llewellyn, had barged into her parents' home, killing, four persons - Joan's parents, her daughter and brother. He shot Joan in the neck and later took his own life.
The album, done by Miller, who goes by the name Shae Mill, and US-based artiste, Paul Allen, aka St Paul, is titled Songs To Joan. Among the tracks are Missing You, In Memory Of, and Saviour of My Soul.
Singles from the album may be downloaded at www.stpaulmusic.info for 99 US cents or two for US$1.50.
Accounts have also been set up for contributions. In Atlanta, it is Wells Fargo Bank, account 270 604 1221; routing 061 000 227 (name Evelyn McFarlane, c/o Joan Llewellyn). In Jamaica, it is Jamaica National Building Society, St Ann's Bay, account 105 8778
- Chaty Chaty
Joan Llewellyn, who was shot by her estranged husband, Police Corporal Wayne Llewellyn, is to see specialists who will attempt to remove the bullet fragments in her neck, which have left her paralysed.
It is understood that her sister works as a nurse at the Atlanta- based hospital and doctors there have agreed to undertake the operation free of cost.
The air ambulance flight, which cost nearly US$20,000, was made possible through contributions from the Ministry of Health and other sources.
Police investigators say Wayne Llewellyn also killed her mother, father, brother, and daughter before putting a bullet in his own head.
It is still not clear what triggered the deadly rage, but some of his wife's relatives describe him as controlling and abusive and said he had threatened to kill her and her parents in the past.
- The Gleaner
Discography
Love Jamaica
Missing You
Savior of My Soul
Candy Bar
Couples in Heaven
Don't You Ever Give Up
My Life
Quiet Place
Photos
Bio
Ever since he was a teenager, Paul Allen was determined to make a difference in other people’s lives. And he wanted to use the word of God to achieve this.
Allen is living out his dream as St. Paul, a gospel singer/songwriter who is prepared to connect with his audience, even if it means going outside of traditional Christian sounds.
“My music is designed to reach everybody and that’s important. Church people will love it but the youths in the clubs can also vibe to it,” he said.
Two of St. Paul’s latest songs, ‘Don’t You Ever Give Up’ and ‘Dreamer’ are dancehall-inspired tracks geared to a younger audience. He sees nothing wrong with reaching out to persons who don’t share his religious beliefs.
“You have many people who don’t go to church but who are believers. It’s them who I want to reach,” St. Paul explained.
Another new St. Paul song, ‘Love Jamaica’, is a patriotic tribute to the land of his birth.
Paul Allen, who was raised in the Church of God denomination, has been around music for many years. Born in Montego Bay, he was part of that city’s sound system circuit and unsuccessfully submitted an entry for
Jamaica’s annual Festival Song Contest.
It was not until 1990 when he immigrated to the United States that he realized his dream of being a recording artiste. Seven years ago, he recorded the inspirational song, ‘Be Yourself’, which was followed by ‘Moses’ and ‘I’ll Always Love You’, which followed a similar vein.
A father of three children, St. Paul says although he wants to reach a diverse audience, he won’t lower his standards for commercial gains.
“My music is not just for adults, it’s for the children. If the kids can’t listen to your music it makes no sense.”
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