( L - R ) Rev 'Al' Miller, Richie Stephens - File Photos

SINCE HIS career took off in the late 1980s, Richie Stephens has collaborated with some of the biggest names in dancehall music, including roots singer Garnett Silk and deejay Bounty Killer. However, for his latest song, the singer sought inspiration from an unlikely source.

A Prayer For the Children is the title of the song Stephens recorded recently with Reverend Merrick 'Al' Miller, pastor at the Fellowship Tabernacle in St Andrew.

He said reports of widespread child abuse and the tragic deaths of young Jamaicans inspired him to write A Prayer For the Children.

"As a father, I am very concerned about how our children are dying, so I decided to ask for divine support," Stephens told The Gleaner.

Spiritual support

That 'support' came in the form of Miller, a charismatic preacher, who came to public prominence in the late 1990s as spiritual adviser to the Reggae Boyz, Jamaica's football team.

"Every time I was in the studio, I came up with a voice that was not mine and Reverend Miller came to mind. Even though I have never been to his church, I have always liked his energy," Stephens said.

A Prayer For the Children, which has Miller preaching and Stephens singing, was released two weeks ago by Stephens' Pot Of Gold company.

"The response has been great. People say, 'It's timely'," Stephens said.

The Westmoreland-born singer emerged as a Dennis Brown sound-alike almost 20 years ago.

Numerous hit songs

He hit his stride in the mid-1990s and was briefly signed to Motown Records, before leaving that company and linking with producer Danny Browne's Main Street Records where he recorded numerous hit songs.

A Prayer For the Children is not Stephens' first attempt at gospel.

In 2002, he recorded the inspirational album, The Man Upstairs.