Willie Lindo’s career in reggae music has spanned the past thirty-five years, during which he was a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer. In the mid-1970s, Lindo teamed with Beres Hammond, and together they produced a large body of high-quality work. Their first release was the album Soul Reggae (1977), on which Lindo was credited for guitar parts, arranging, production, and remixing. Throughout the end of the 1970s, Lindo went on to work with a series of talented reggae artists. In 1977 he recorded with Dennis Brown, Burning Spear, Culture, the Heptones, Ijahman, Delroy Washington, and several others. For these sessions, Lindo typically supplied the guitar work and also often served as the engineer. In the 1980s, Lindo went on to work with an ever-growing list of artists such as Big Youth, Black Uhuru, Dennis Brown, Manu Dibbing, Fathead and Yellowman, Derrick Harriott, J. C. Lodge, the Meditations, the Mighty Diamonds, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and Toots and the Maytals. During this period, Lindo primarily supplied guitar and production work.
The 1990s brought more of the same as Lindo split his duties between guitar and production work for an increasingly long list of artists such as Carlene Davis, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, Don Perez, Cynthia Schloss, Leroy Smart, the Heptones, U-Brown, and others. Also in the 1990s, Lindo’s work began appearing on various compilation releases. In the new millennium, Lindo has continued at a brisk pace. He produced or supplied guitar work for Larry Marshall, Ky-Mani Marley, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Barry Briggs, Prince Lincoln, Sly and Robbie, and others. Of special note is his involvement as guitarist, producer, and engineer for Kashief Lindo, his son. In 2002, Kashief emerged as a recording artist in his father’s mold with his debut album love Knows the Way. Willie Lindo remains active in the reggae music scene as both guitarist and producer, as well as a guiding force behind his sons fledgling career. |
