Earl Lindo

An accomplished organ player with the Wailers and Taj Mahal, among many others, Earl "Wire" Lindo (or Wya) began his musical tuition at the Excelsior High School playing classical piano and bass; he also listened to jazz and R&B from Lee Dorsey to Jimmy Smith. His initial foray into the reggae industry came when he played keyboards for Tommy McCook & the Supersonics; a notable hit from the period was "The Ball," credited to Lindo with the Supersonics. He then performed in the Meters alongside Bobbie Kalphat and Bobbie Denton. During their brief existence, the group supported Bob Andy, Peter Tosh, and Dennis Brown. Following the dissolution of the Meters, Lindo joined the Now Generation, supporting Sharon Forrester through her association with Geoffrey Chung. Lindo's earlier association with Peter Tosh resulted in him being recruited on keyboards on a U.S. tour alongside brothers Carlton and Aston "Familyman" Barrett. Lindo was later recruited to join the Wailers for Burnin'; although not actually credited, his image is clearly featured on the original artwork. By 1974, Lindo had left the band to perform on keyboards with blues artist Taj Mahal. They recorded, among others, "Black Man Brown Man," which was later recorded and released by Judy Mowatt. In 1977, Lindo returned to Jamaica where he recorded with Big Youth, Culture, I Roy, and Al Brown. During his respite from the Wailers, he also released two solo hits, "No Soul Today" and "Who Done It." Lindo rejoined the Wailers in 1978, and his playing skills were featured on Babylon by Bus, Survival, and Uprising. Lindo also appeared on the famed JBC film of Bob Marley's solo acoustic performance of "Redemption Song." Following Marley's death in 1981, the band continued to perform as the Wailers Band, performing Bob Marley hits alongside the group's own compositions. He remained with the group into the 1990s while also pursuing solo projects. ~ TiVo Staff