WHEN guitarist Dwight Pinkney moved to Kingston from Mandeville in the late 1960s, there was plenty of work for session musicians.

Pinkney, whose career started with The Sharks at Studio One, has been awarded the Order of Distinction for his contribution to the development of Jamaican music.

The 69-year-old will receive Jamaica’s fifth highest honour on October 20 during the annual National Honours and Awards ceremony at King’s House.

In addition to The Sharks, Pinkney was a member of the influential Zap Pow and Roots Radics bands. The former was an eclectic unit that recorded the jazzy instrumental Mystic Mood and the rootsy This is Reggae Music.

Pinkney joined the ‘Radics’ in the early 1980s, played on songs and albums by numerous artistes including Gregory Isaacs (Night Nurse), Bunny Wailer (Rock ‘N’ Groove) and Israel Vibration (Rude Boy Shufflin’).

He wrote How Could I Live, a big hit for Dennis Brown. As an artiste, he has recorded several well-received instrumental albums such as Memories by The Score.

Singer Marcia Griffiths, musicians Bobby Ellis and Phil Chen, Carl Brady (a founding member of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires), Winston ‘Wee Pow’ Powell, founder of the Stone Love sound system, sculptor Laura Facey and theatre stalwart Douglas Bennett, have also been recognised in this year’s list of honorees.