15-16-17 – Emotion

13th June 2026 · 1970s, 1978, Electro, Music, Reggae

Teenage reggae trio 15-16-17 recorded this lovers rock reggae version of a song penned by the Gibb brothers and featuring Dennis Brown and Dennis Bovell.

You may know this song by The Bee Gees, who wrote it in 1977 for Samantha Sang. You might also know it by Destiny’s Child, who recorded it in 2001.

I know it best in the lovers rock version by the teenage reggae trio 15, 16, 17, with its killer bassline and an outstanding dub produced by Castro Brown and, I’m pretty sure, Dennis Bovell.

Here they are, joined together, in one glorious eight-minute mix.

Sonia Williams, Christine McNabb and her sister Wraydette came from Jamaica and formed in the UK in 1974 in the UK, entering a talent contest at the Georgian club in Croydon run by Dennis Brown’s cousin Castro.

They initially performed as The Gorgon Sisters but changed to 15-16-17 (reflecting the girls’ ages) on Castro’s advice, and won the contest two weeks in a row with a cover version of Louisa Mark’s lovers rock tune Caught You In A Lie.

They made a few other records, including a delightful cover of The Temptations track Just My Imagination, retitled Girls Imagination, which became a hit in the reggae charts.