Earl Lindo

Earl Wilberforce "Wire" Lindo (7 January 1953 – 4 September 2017),[1][2] sometimes referred to as Wya, was a Jamaican reggae musician. He was a member of Bob Marley and the Wailers and collaborated with numerous reggae artists including Burning Spear.

Earl Lindo
Birth nameEarl Wilberforce Lindo
Also known asWya, Wire
Born(1953-01-07)7 January 1953
Kingston, Jamaica
Died4 September 2017(2017-09-04) (aged 64)
London, England
GenresReggae
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsKeyboards (piano, rhodes piano, organ, clavinet, synthesizers, mellotron), guitar
Years active1970–2017
Associated actsBob Marley & The Wailers, The Wailers Band, Taj Mahal

Biography

While attending Excelsior High School in Jamaica, he played with Barry Biggs, Mikey "Boo" Richards, and Ernest Wilson in the Astronauts, and later played organ in the band Now Generation, and with Tommy McCook and the Supersonics, and the Meters.[3][4] Aston "Familyman" Barrett heard Lindo and recommended him to play for a Saturday afternoon television program Where It's At on JBC. Lindo also spent his early days working at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One, where he played on innumerable recordings.

In 1973, he was invited to join The Wailers on a US tour, going on to play on Burnin'.[4][5] He left the Wailers in 1974 to join Taj Mahal's band.[4]

Lindo can be heard on an album credited to the Impact All-Stars. Released in 1975, the album is a collection of dub tracks recorded at Randy's Studio 17.[6] On his return to Jamaica he played on recordings by Big Youth, Culture, I Roy, and Al Brown, and had some success with solo singles "No Soul Today" and "Who Done It".[4] In 1978 he rejoined the Wailers, playing on Babylon by Bus, Survival, and Uprising.[4][5]

After Marley's death, Lindo was a member of The Wailers Band.[4]

Lindo died in a London hospital on 4 September 2017, aged 64, shortly after being admitted with abdominal pain.[3][7] Among the tributes paid, Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, described him as "an exceptionally gifted musician who played a pivotal role alongside Bob Marley and the Wailers in the global success of Jamaica's reggae music."[8]

Family

Lindo and his wife Marie had two daughters, and lived in London.[3] He also has a son who resides in the United States.

References
  1. Earl Lindo, clavier de The Wailers, est mort à l’âge de 64 ans, lesinrocks.com; accessed 5 September 2017.(in French)
  2. "Earl "Wyaa" Lindo dies at 64". IrieFM.net. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  3. "Remembering 'Wya'", Jamaica Observer, 13 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017
  4. "Earl Lindo Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved 15 September 2017
  5. Unterberger, Richie (2017) Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Ultimate Illustrated History, Voyageur Press, ISBN 978-0760352410, p. 85, 154
  6. Harris, Craig. "Biography: Impact All-Stars". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  7. Bonitto, Brian (2017) "Wailer 'Wya' Lindo is dead", Jamaica Observer, 6 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017
  8. Davis, Garwin (2017) "Culture Minister Pays Tribute to the Late Earl 'Wya' Lindo", Jamaica Information Service, 8 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017
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