This week, we are celebrating the birthday of reggae-rock legend Half Pint, who turns 61 today.
Half Pint (born 11 November 1961), and sometimes credited Lindon Andrew Roberts, is a Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae singer. He originates from the West Kingston enclave of Rose Lane. This is a community which has produced reggae acts such as Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh, and more.
After the completion of his secondary education in 1976, he sought work as a vocalist within the Jamaican music industry. Half Pint toured the island with various sound systems including Black Scorpio, Jammys, Gemini, Lee’s Unlimited and Killimanjaro. He subsequently worked with record producers such as Errol (John) Marshall; Errol (Myrie) Lewis; King Jammy; Sly and Robbie; George Phang; Jack Scorpio, Bobby “Digital” Dixon and Mass Hugh. He also collaborated with Garnett Silk, Tony Rebel and The Tamlins.
Half Pint’s first single, “Sally”, was released in 1983 and was a hit in Jamaica, followed later that year with “Winsome”.
He released Money Man Skank, recorded in the early 1980s by King Jammy, which possessed energy, ebullience and style that epitomised the dancehall feel. He continued to release songs that became hits in the local and international reggae scenes, including “Mr. Landlord,” “Level the Vibes,” “Substitute Lover” and the chart-topper, Half Pint’s all-time greatest hit “Greetings” was released on Powerhouse in 1986 and was recorded in a single take. Besides these singles, Roberts has also released a number of albums. His largest fanbases are in Europe, Japan, Brazil, and the West Coast of the United States.
The Rolling Stones recorded a cover of Half Pint’s “Winsome” in 1986, although it was renamed “Too Rude” for their Dirty Work album. The dub-punk group Sublime released a cover of Half Pint’s “Loving” in 1996. He maintained his public profile by frequent touring and guest appearances. He has performed at music festivals and rock concerts. The track “Giving/Sharing” can be heard on the soundtrack album for the film, The Mighty Quinn (1989). His music has also been used on the films Substitute 2 (1998), and the French comedy Mookie (1998). In 1998, Half Pint was signed with the BMG Music Publishing Company. Despite being noticeably absent from the recording studio, Half Pint enjoyed relative success with Legal We Legal. This was his first studio album within a ten-year period.
ThePier thanks Half Pint for all of the contributions he has made over the years to the reggae-rock community.
Article by Kailee Maguire
