Biography
An accomplished keyboardist who lent his talents to the Wailers as well as Taj Mahal, Earl “Wire” Lindo—also known as Wya—first studied classical piano and bass at Excelsior High School while absorbing jazz and R&B ranging from Lee Dorsey to Jimmy Smith. His earliest reggae work came with Tommy McCook & the Supersonics, yielding the notable single “The Ball,” issued under Lindo’s name with the Supersonics. He next joined the short-lived Meters alongside Bobbie Kalphat and Bobbie Denton; during that time the ensemble backed Bob Andy, Peter Tosh, and Dennis Brown. After the Meters disbanded, Lindo moved to the Now Generation, where he supported Sharon Forrester through her connection with Geoffrey Chung.
That prior link with Peter Tosh led to Lindo’s recruitment for a U.S. tour on keyboards beside Carlton Barrett and Aston “Familyman” Barrett. He was subsequently asked to join the Wailers for Burnin’, and although his name is absent from the credits his likeness appears unmistakably on the original sleeve. By 1974 he had stepped away from the group to play with blues musician Taj Mahal, contributing to tracks such as “Black Man Brown Man,” which Judy Mowatt later recorded and released. Returning to Jamaica in 1977, Lindo worked with Big Youth, Culture, I Roy, and Al Brown; he also issued two solo successes, “No Soul Today” and “Who Done It.”
Rejoining the Wailers in 1978, he performed on Babylon by Bus, Survival, and Uprising, and he can be seen in the well-known JBC footage of Bob Marley’s solo acoustic rendition of “Redemption Song.” After Marley’s passing in 1981 the ensemble carried on as the Wailers Band, mixing Marley standards with original material; Lindo stayed through the 1990s while continuing independent projects.
That prior link with Peter Tosh led to Lindo’s recruitment for a U.S. tour on keyboards beside Carlton Barrett and Aston “Familyman” Barrett. He was subsequently asked to join the Wailers for Burnin’, and although his name is absent from the credits his likeness appears unmistakably on the original sleeve. By 1974 he had stepped away from the group to play with blues musician Taj Mahal, contributing to tracks such as “Black Man Brown Man,” which Judy Mowatt later recorded and released. Returning to Jamaica in 1977, Lindo worked with Big Youth, Culture, I Roy, and Al Brown; he also issued two solo successes, “No Soul Today” and “Who Done It.”
Rejoining the Wailers in 1978, he performed on Babylon by Bus, Survival, and Uprising, and he can be seen in the well-known JBC footage of Bob Marley’s solo acoustic rendition of “Redemption Song.” After Marley’s passing in 1981 the ensemble carried on as the Wailers Band, mixing Marley standards with original material; Lindo stayed through the 1990s while continuing independent projects.