If you have ever sung along to ‘Mr Loverman’ or ‘Telephone Love’, you already know Hopeton Lindo’s work. The songwriter was among the honourees at the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) awards on 8 November at Tuff Gong International Studio in Kingston, recognised by the JaRIA committee for his outstanding contribution as a songwriter.

Lindo was not at the ceremony. Havajoy Fisher and Karen Warren accepted the award for him.

The hits

Lindo wrote or co-wrote charting songs including Shabba Ranks’ ‘Mr Loverman’, J C Lodge’s ‘Telephone Love’, Buju Banton’s ‘I Wanna Be Loved’ and Brian and Tony Gold’s ‘Can You’. Many of them came together in the late 1980s and early 1990s at producer Gussie Clarke’s studio in Kingston, where Mikey Bennett and Carlton Hines were also writing.

He was a performer too. Raised in the Kencot community, he worked as a sound system artiste in the 1980s alongside Tiger and Anthony Malvo, and his biggest hit as an artiste was the self-produced ‘Territory’, which the Reggae Boyz used for home matches during their 1998 World Cup campaign.

“The pen has been kind”

In his message of thanks, Lindo spoke about the nickname people gave him, saying “the pen has been kind” and that “ink must serve the people”. He said he writes for justice, for relief and for every Jamaican far from home, before closing with “I am Jamaica” and thanking JaRIA.

Carlton Hines, who wrote alongside him in those Gussie Clarke days, described him to the Observer as a natural songwriter who “writes according to his vibes”.

More from the night: JaRIA Honour Awards 2026 – all the Icons and winners.

Source: Jamaica Observer