Reggae Ambassadors – Third World

With a clear sense of purpose, Third World, rightfully called The Reggae Ambassadors, will celebrate their 35th anniversary in December 2008! Another one of my favorite reggae bands that I have enjoyed live on many occasions, Third World is one of the longest running reggae bands of all time. Criticized by reggae purists for being too commercial, this legendary group of talented musicians manage to remain popular with their international audience because their inventive music is always fresh and creative. They take risks and experiment, expanding the basic foundations of roots reggae. It is this imagination and their superior abilities to make music in its various forms – reggae, R&B, funk, pop, African, Latin, rock, dancehall and even rap – that inspires them and endears them to their fans around the world. .

Unlike many of the self-taught greats of the Jamaican reggae scene, some of these guys actually had a fairly diverse and classical musical background. The group was founded in 1973 by Michael “Ibo” Cooper (born January 14, 1955 in Kingston, Jamaica), the son of a policeman who received formal training on a variety of keyboard instruments at Kingston’s Royal School of Music. , and Stephen “Cat”. Coore (born April 6, 1959 in Kingston), whose father served as Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica and who first learned to play strings from his renowned music teacher mother. He trained at the Forster Davis School of Music in Jamaica, where he earned a reputation as a prodigy for his incredible talent on the cello. Both artists had played individually on the Kingston reggae circuit, but first worked together when they joined the successful Kingston group Inner Circle in 1968.

Cooper, Coore, and Inner Circle vocalist Milton “Prilly” Hamilton decided to strike out on their own, rounding out their band with Richie Daley, a self-taught bass player. They recruited drummer Carl Barovier (who was replaced by Cornel Marshal) and percussionist Irwin “Carrot” Jarrett, who had extensive professional concert and television experience. Third World made its live debut with a performance at Jamaica’s independence celebration in 1973.

Third World made a name for themselves on the Kingston club scene as a fully self-contained band; a rarity because most of the labels in Jamaica were run by sound systems, while Third World had all of its own musicians available. They did this so they could perform wherever they wanted instead of constantly fighting for musicians or a sound system to support their singing. But this made it difficult to get a record deal, so they toured England, where the reggae sound was becoming popular, and released their debut single. Train tracks in 1974, later signing a contract with Island Records. Island sent them on a European tour opening for Bob Marley & the Wailers.

1976 saw the release of Third World’s self-titled debut album which featured a version of the roots classic. satta massagana by the Abyssinians. The tracking of him was from 1977. 96° in the shade, which featured their new drummer, Willie “Roots” Stewart, and a new lead singer, William “Bunny Rugs” Clarke. That title track is an all-time reggae classic and the album was a huge critical success. But Third World’s popular breakthrough album was 1978’s Journey to Addis, which featured a funkified reggae version of Now that we found love by the O’Jays. The single was a crossover hit that wowed listeners who don’t normally buy reggae albums. Along with the easy to follow cool meditationThird World rocketed to international stardom when they hit the US R&B charts and the UK Pop Top 10.

After releasing three more albums with Island, Third World moved to Columbia in the early 1980s, believing that they would receive more attention if they did not compete with Island’s star act Marley. While with Columbia, they released 5 albums over the next 7 years, with significant success on the US and UK charts. At that time they began collaborating with Stevie Wonder, who helped them develop their crossover sound. Reggae was popular with mostly white audiences in Britain and the United States, and Wonder’s support also helped them gain attention from black audiences, reaching the US R&B charts in particular.

Third World’s success continued through the 1980s and 1990s with several label changes (CBS, Mercury) and the release of many more crossover hit albums that reached the R&B, pop and dance charts and added to their international stature. . Jarrett left the band during this time and was replaced by Rupert “Gypsy” Bent III. In 1997, founding member Cooper (replaced by keyboardist Leroy “Baarbe” Romans, who was later replaced by Herbie Harris) and Stewart (replaced by drummer Tony “Ruption” Williams) also left.

Sometimes accused by critics of selling out, Third World wanted their music to be accessible to a wider audience, to represent ordinary people around the world, not just in their own country. They defied the limitations of their genre and were the first reggae act to add funk and use a synthesizer. They had one of the first commercially successful fusions of reggae and rap. They were instrumental in popularizing dub poetry, which became the foundation of dancehall. And they dabbled in American hip-hop. The reggae-hip-hop combo breathed new life into reggae in Jamaica and abroad. Talented Third World musicians have always been innovative, refusing to limit the endless possibilities of their music. If you want to hear just one beautiful piece of music, listen to Cat Coore’s performance on the cello at Rastafarian Symphony.

Awarded the Peace Medal by the United Nations for their contributions to African causes, they were invited to a tribute to Nelson Mandela in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1990. They received the keys to the city of Key West, Florida. And this month alone (October 2008), they were honored with 6 official proclamations from the City of Los Angeles, the California State Governor’s Office, the California State Senate, and the Mayor of Los Angeles, at the University of Medicine Charles Draw. and Science in Los Angeles, California, in celebration of the group’s 35th anniversary. Additionally, each member of the group was presented with their own plaque in honor of the 2008 Jazz at Drew Lifetime Achievement Award.

Third World continues to evolve and tour around the world. Currently back in the studio working on their 20th album, they plan to end 2008 with a big anniversary celebration in December in Jamaica. Keep them coming: I, for one, can never get enough!

Visit Third World’s official website at: http://www.thirdworldband.com/.