Hopeton Lewis

Lewis died on 4 September 2014 at his home in Brooklyn, aged 66, after suffering kidney failure.

The Disciples roots reggae and dub musicians have a record label entitled Boom Shaka Laka, named in honour of, and inspired by Hopeton Lewis' song (as well as by Jah Shaka and reggae culture and history in general). The Disciples also wrote a highly influential roots reggae fanzine called Boom Shaka Laka, also named after the Hopeton Lewis record. The author, Lol Bell-Brown ( who works for Dub Vendor ) named the magazine after the Hopeton Lewis classic song, Boom-Shacka-Lacka. The first issue was released in 1988 and over the four following years the magazine became one of the most important publications to cover the, for the time, current roots scene as well as classic roots records. There was 11 issues released of which all are sought after collectors items.

Lewis continued to release records, but his success after the early 1970s was limited. Lewis released This Is Gospel in 1996 on his own label, Bay City Music, founded in the 1980s. Much of his later work was in the gospel genre, including Reaching Out to Jesus (2000).

Lewis was born in Kingston, Jamaica. 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 began recording and had one of the earliest rocksteady hits with "Take It Easy" in late 1966. The track was recorded with Lynn Taitt and the Jets, and is regarded as one of the first rocksteady singles. He had several more Jamaican hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including the first 'herb' song ever recorded there, "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".

Hopeton Lewis was born on October 3, 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica.