Hopeton Lewis was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 3rd 1947. he sang in church from an early age and started performing as a youth, forming a singing group called 'The Regals'. By the mid-1960s, he had begun recording and had one of the earliest 'rocksteady' hits with "Take It Easy" in late 1966 (featured in this Jam). The track was recorded with 'Lynn Taitt and the Jets', and is regarded as one of the first ever 'rocksteady' singles.
He had several more Jamaican hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the first 'herb' song ever recorded in Jamaica, "Cool Collie". He worked for Duke Reid as an arranger and backing vocalist, and won the Festival Song Contest in 1970 with "Boom Shaka Lacka". He began working as a singer with 'Byron Lee & the Dragonaires', and in 1971 had a hit with "Grooving Out On Life". Lewis continued to release records, but his success after the early 1970s was limited.
He released "This Is Gospel" in 1996 on his own label, Bay City Music, which he had founded in the 1980s. Much of his recent work had been in the 'gospel' genre, including "Reaching Out to Jesus" (2000). He lived the later period of his life in Brooklyn, New York, where he presented a show on Grace Deliverance Radio.
4 Comments (since 13 Sep 2014)
rest_in_peace
Hopeton Lewis was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on October 3rd 1947. he sang in church from an early age and started performing as a youth, forming a singing group called 'The Regals'. By the mid-1960s, he had begun recording and had one of the earliest 'rocksteady' hits with "Take It Easy" in late 1966 (featured in this Jam). The track was recorded with 'Lynn Taitt and the Jets', and is regarded as one of the first ever 'rocksteady' singles.
rest_in_peace
He had several more Jamaican hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the first 'herb' song ever recorded in Jamaica, "Cool Collie". He worked for Duke Reid as an arranger and backing vocalist, and won the Festival Song Contest in 1970 with "Boom Shaka Lacka". He began working as a singer with 'Byron Lee & the Dragonaires', and in 1971 had a hit with "Grooving Out On Life". Lewis continued to release records, but his success after the early 1970s was limited.
rest_in_peace
He released "This Is Gospel" in 1996 on his own label, Bay City Music, which he had founded in the 1980s. Much of his recent work had been in the 'gospel' genre, including "Reaching Out to Jesus" (2000). He lived the later period of his life in Brooklyn, New York, where he presented a show on Grace Deliverance Radio.
rest_in_peace
Hopeton Lewis died on September 4th 2014 at his home in Brooklyn, aged 66, after suffering kidney failure. http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Singer-Hopeton-Lewis-is-dead