Wingless Angels are a

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n Rastafari

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

group led by

Justin Hinds Justin Hinds (7 May 1942 – 16 March 2005) was a Jamaican ska vocalist, with his backing singers the Dominoes. He is best known for his work with Duke Reid's Treasure Isle Records, where his most notable song, "Carry Go Bring Come" recorde ...

, best known for their self-titled album executive produced by

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

and issued on his Mindless Records imprint.

History

Veteran reggae musician Justin Hinds had by the 1990s moved back to live in his rural home town of Steertown near

Ocho Rios Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth in the ...

where he led a group of

nyabinghi Nyabinghi or Nyabingi is a prominent figure in the history of Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, where religions or 'possession cults' formed around her. Probably via a 1930s article, the term "Nyabinghi" was introduced to Jamaica. There, it was adopted ...

musicians, including Winston "Black Skull" Thomas (who had previously worked with

Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talki ...

and

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this t ...

),Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p. 319-320 Milton "Bongo Neville" Beckerd, "Bongo" Locksey Whitlock, Warrin Williamson, Maureen Fremantle (aka Sister Maureen), Vincent "Jackie" Ellis, and Bongo Jackie (aka Iron Lion). Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards had bought a home in Ocho Rios in the mid-1970s and befriended Hinds.Leggett, Steve " Wingless Angels Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

'', Macrovision Corporation, retrieved 29 November 2009Keith Richards To Release Roots Reggae Album
, MTV, 23 October 1997, retrieved 29 November 2009 Richards and producer

Rob Fraboni Robert Alan Fraboni (born 23 April 1951) is an American, California-born record producer and audio engineer, well known for his work with Bob Dylan, The Band, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Tim Hardin, The Beach Boys, Joe Cocker, and Bonnie Ra ...

recorded the group one evening in 1995 playing in his own living room, shortly after the death of Bongo Jackie, and with overdubs added by himself,

Blondie Chaplin Terrence William "Blondie" Chaplin (born 7 July 1951) is a South African singer and guitarist from Durban, where he played in the band the Flames in the mid to late 1960s. From 1972 to 1973, he was a member of the Beach Boys and contributed ...

, and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

ist Frankie Gavin, he released the recordings as an album on his own Mindless Records imprint (via Island Records) in 1997, dubbing the group "Wingless Angels". The album was reissued on keithrichards.com in 2003 and by Polygram in 2008.Munro, Eden (2008)
Old Sounds - Wingless Angels
, ''

Vue Weekly ''Vue Weekly'' was an alternative weekly newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with issues released every Thursday. It covered topics on artists and events that are often ignored, marginalized, or misrepresented by the mainstream med ...

'', 7 August 2008, retrieved 29 November 2009 According to a news release on winglessangels.com in June 2010, new recordings made shortly before the death of Justin Hinds will be issued in September 2010 on Mindless Records. Wingless Angels II, the last known recording of Justin Hinds, is now available.

Discography

*''Wingless Angels'' (October 1997), Mindless/Island Jamaica *''Wingless Angels II'' (23 September 2010), Mindless Records *''Wingless Angels Deluxe Edition'' (23 September 2010), Mindless Records

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wingless Angels Jamaican reggae musical groups