Little Hero

A YEAR ago, Delroy Roberts was struggling to get his Inspire Records off the ground by shopping the fledgling company's debut album to reluctant distributors. Now, that album, Revelation, by singer Little Hero, is sitting pretty atop Billboard Magazine's Reggae Chart.

Produced by Roberts, Revelation entered the chart at number one in its first week, removing UB40's Greatest Hits. The Top 10 also includes touted albums by Heavy D and Stephen Marley.

"I got a call from Alex Vitoulis (Billboard's associate chart production manager) who told me that the album entered the chart. Then I heard from Pat Meschino (Billboard reggae writer) who wants to do a story on the album," Roberts told Tidbits Tuesday from his Montego Bay home.

Albums in the Billboard Reggae Chart are usually not major sellers, but enjoy enough rotation (radio, digital downloads) to warrant a chart posting by the publication.

The song that has done the trick for Revelation is Praise God, which has done well locally, and in South Florida and the United States Virgin Islands. Roberts says he decided to pitch the album himself after several companies, including the all-reggae powerhouse VP Records, passed on it.

Other artistes

"They (VP) told me that they had other artistes working with so we should wait a little but we got frustrated and decided to do it ourselves," Roberts said.

As Praise God took off, two companies expressed interest in Revelation. Japan's Diamondedge Records released the album in that country while Germany's Soundquake made it available through the growing digital market.

While Revelation is far from a mega seller, Roberts and company are basking in its success. A sales representative for Dyna Metro Limited, a Canadian company that produces construction material for the Jamaican market, he says he has always been around the music scene.

Three years ago, he took the professional plunge and started Inspire Records with Little Hero, a journeyman vocalist from Discovery Bay, St Ann, its sole act. While Roberts is largely unknown in music circles, Little Hero has done well as a recording and live act through songs like God Alone (done with Merciless) and Inna The Ghetto.

With the established Tads Records picking up local distribution for Revelation, Roberts says Inspire will release a second single, King Solomon World, from the 15-track set.

"This is something every producer and artiste dream about, so we'll try and capitalise," he said.