Hopeton Lindo

Lindo established his foothold in the Jamaican music industry during the mid-1970s. He cut the enduring track ‘Black History’ in 1978 alongside DJ and producer Mikey Dread, an achievement that soon placed him on the roster of the Blackstar International Sound System alongside Brigadier Jerry, Tiger, Pad Anthony and Tonto Irie.

In 1980 Lindo entered Gussie Clarke’s Music Works studio to record ‘Sidewalk Traveller’, a session that inaugurated an extended creative alliance. Ties to the Music Works circle also sparked a songwriting partnership with Home T, yielding the landmark ‘Telephone Love’ that restored momentum to J.C. Lodge’s career and the companion piece ‘Champion Lover’ voiced by Deborahe Glasgow. The same rhythm powered additional hits including ‘Nuff Respect’ by Lady G, ‘Heavy Load’ by the Mighty Diamonds, ‘Choice’ by Ken Boothe and Lindo’s own ‘Lonely Night’. While ‘Telephone Love’ became a Jamaican classic, ‘Champion Lover’ achieved wider reach when Shabba Ranks re-recorded it with Chevelle Franklin. Lindo’s compositional reputation soon attracted collaborations with Dennis Brown, Aswad and Gregory Isaacs.

In the early 1990s he joined the Two Friends Crew featuring Chevelle Franklin, Brian And Tony Gold, Peter Mann and Patrick Lindsay. Lindo contributed the classic ‘Gun Ting’ to the one-rhythm set Ting & Ting, the human-rights meditation ‘Orders To Shoot’ and the tribute ‘The Word’ that marked Nelson Mandela’s visit to the USA, quoting ‘The word - that’s sharper than a razor - the word is stronger than the sword - the word - that’s the power of the word’. The track appeared on the Two Friends landmark album One Man One Vote, which also showcased Shabba Ranks, Dennis Brown, Bunny Rugs, Cocoa Tea, Judy Mowatt, Big Youth and Lindo’s former Blackstar sparring partner Pad Anthony. The success of that project prompted Two Friends to release Lindo’s critically acclaimed debut.