Justin Hinds of Justin Hinds and the Dominoes fame lost his battle with lung cancer on Wednesday night, Splash understands. He would have been 63 on May 7.
One of the pioneers of the ska era, Hinds who has been ailing for some months, was born in 1942, in Steertown, St Ann. In the early 1960s when Bob Marley and the Wailers making their mark at Studio One and on the Beverly's label, Justin Hinds and the Dominoes (Dennis Sinclair and Junior Dixon) were making their presence felt on the Duke Reid's Treasure Isles label.
Arguably the most prolific group for producer Duke Reid in that period, the Justin Hinds-led Dominoes, drawing heavily from the Bible and popular Jamaican proverbs, recorded some of the finest ska songs including King Samuel, The Higher Monkey Climb, Jump Out A Frying Pan and Baddaration.
But it was the dawn of rock steady which gave Hinds and his backing vocalists, Sinclair and Dixon their signature tune, Carry Go Bring Come.
Although not as prominent in Jamaica in later years, Justin Hinds is a household name in Europe, especially in France where the former Island Record artiste who last performed in Jamaica on Stars "R" Us in January, enjoyed a huge fan-base.
"I'm saddened to hear of his passing. The last time I saw him was in January at the show "Stars R Us" where Tommy Cowan and myself prayed for him backstage," Lloyd Parkes, leader of We the People Band, told Splash. Both Parkes and Cowan are members of the Christian faith.
Michael Barnett, of MKB Productions, promoters of the popular vintage showcase, Heineken Startime, bemoaned the fact that Justin Hinds had not been given the recognition he so richly deserved.
"It's a pity he has passed away without getting the recognition that was due to him, even though he was well respected in Europe, especially in France. I'm happy that I was able to get the chance to work with him on Heineken Startime in December 2003. This was his only appearance on Startime, due to his heavy tour schedules, we were unable to pin him down for other performances," Barnett said.
In his tribute to Justin Hinds, President of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians (JFM) Desmond Young said, "Justin Hinds was one of the pioneers that impacted on the imagination of our people and the wider international community due to his immense catalogue. On behalf of the JFM, condolences to family and close friends."
Noted saxophonist, Dean Fraser, said respect is due to Justin Hinds as he (Fraser) just came from a tour of Europe where the name of late singer kept coming up. "We were talking about him (Justin Hinds) the whole time."
