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Biography
Third World
Third World are a Jamaican reggae band formed in 1973. Their sound is influenced by soul, funk and disco. Although they have undergone several line-up changes, Stephen "Cat" Coore and Richard Daley have been constant members.
History[edit]
Third World started when keyboard player Michael "Ibo" Cooper and guitarist (and cellist) Stephen "Cat" Coore (son of former Deputy Prime Minister David Coore), who had originally played in The Alley Cats then Inner Circle, subsequently left to form their own band along with Inner Circle singer Milton "Prilly" Hamilton.[1][2] They recruited bassist Richard Daley, formerly of Ken Boothe's band and Tomorrow's Children, and added drummer Carl Barovier and former Inner Circle percussionist Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett before making their live debut in early 1974.[1]
After recording some tracks with Geoffrey Chung which were not released, the band's first single was the self-produced "Railroad Track" (1974).[1] In their early days they played primarily in Kingston's hotels and nightclubs and (along withThe Wailers) supported The Jackson Five when they played at the Jamaican National Stadium.[1]
They were soon signed by Island Records and toured Europe with The Wailers.[1] The band's self-titled debut album was released in 1976. The album included a cover of "Satta Massagana", originally performed by The Abyssinians, which became a local hit. Hamilton and Barovier were replaced by two more former Inner Circle members, singerWilliam "Bunny Rugs" Clarke and drummer Willie Stewart before the recording of their second album, 96° in the Shade(1977), which included several local hits. Notable among its eight tracks were "1865 (96° in the Shade)", a reference to the 1865 Morant Bay rebellion, "Rhythm of Life" and the album's only cover, "Dreamland", written by Bunny Wailer.[1]They played in front of 80,000 people at the Smile Jamaica festival in 1976.[1]
In 1977 the band collaborated with psychiatrist Frederick Hickling on the Explanitations show which was performed at Kingston's Little Theatre early the following year.[3]
Third World's greatest success came in the late 1970s and early 1980s, peaking with their cover version of The O'Jays' "Now That We Found Love" from their third album Journey to Addis, a hit single on both sides of the Atlantic in 1978, reaching the top ten in the UK.[1] Journey to Addis became a top thirty hit album in the UK.[1] They had first met Stevie Wonder in Jamaica in 1976 and the single prompted him to perform with them at theReggae Sunsplash festival in 1981 in the wake of Bob Marley's death, playing his tribute to Marley, "Master Blaster".[1][4] Third World went on to perform several times at the festival, and they also took part in the 'Reggae Sunsplash USA' tour in 1985.[5] Wonder also wrote, along with Melody A McCully, their 1982 hit "Try Jah Love", which brought them further exposure in North America.[1][6][7] They were also guests during the third season of SCTV.
Amid claims of artistic differences "Carrot" split from the band in the mid-1980s.[1] The resulting five-piece band then went on to record more commercial tunes such as "Sense of Purpose", "Reggae Ambassador", "Forbidden Love" and "Committed".
Their version of "Now That We've Found Love" was used as the basis of Heavy D's 1991 hit rap version.[8] In 1992 they returned to work with Stephen Stewart and Geoffrey Chung on the album Committed.[8]
Despite several more line-up changes, including the departures of Cooper and Stewart, and a decline in mainstream success, the band is still recording and performing up to the present day, including in front of a television audience at the Cricket World Cup 2007 Opening Ceremony in Trelawny.
In 2008 the band received a lifetime achievement award from Charles Drew University.[9]
In January 2013, the group was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival in Montego Bay Jamaica as the celebrated their 40th year in music.
In 2013 the group completed a 40th anniversary world tour; Illness forced Clarke to miss the European shows, with AJ Brown standing in as lead vocalist.[10]
Present 2014[edit]
William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke died on 2 February 2014 in an Orlando Florida hospital while battling cancer. Brown was announced as Bunny Rugs' replacement.[11]
The album Under the Magic Sun is due to be released in June 2014 on Cleopatra Records, featuring vocals from Bunny Rugs, Brown, Coore, and Maurice Gregory.[12]
Musical style[edit]
While the band played roots reggae, they have also incorporated other styles into their music, and it was the initial influence of The Wailers that prompted the formation of the band to take on a new direction that combined reggae with other genres.[1] The pop-oriented sound has given rise to criticism of the band over the years, with reggae purists uncomfortable with their incorporation of American soul and R&B into their sound.[4][6][13] The band have played also folk-pop, hard rock,bossa nova, rap, light pop-jazz, doo-wop and calypso.[7][14][15] Their style has been described as reggae fusion.[8][16] Singer Bunny Rugs described the band's sound: "Strictly a reggae band, no. Definitely a reggae band, yes."[8] Guitarist Cat Coore said of their music: "The hybrid of various types of music is a natural thing because, by growing up in Jamaica, we know the direct roots of reggae and ska. At the same time we live in a country where you get to hear Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and all the R&B artists."[4] Bassist Richard Daley said "we took roots reggae music and put branches on top of it".[4]
Members[edit]
- Current members
- Stephen "Cat" Coore – guitars, cello (1973–present)
- Richard Daley – bass (1973–present)
- Tony "Ruption" Williams – drums (1997–present)
- Norris "Noriega" Webb – keyboards (2007–present)
- Maurice Gregory – keyboard (2010–present)
- AJ Brown – vocals(2014–present)
- Former members
- Michael "Ibo" Cooper – keyboards (1973–1997)
- Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett – percussion (1973–1989)
- Carl Barovier – drums (1973–1976)
- Milton "Prilly" Hamilton – vocals (1973–1976)
- Bunny Rugs – vocals (1976–2014; his death)
- Willie Stewart – drums (1976–1997)
- Rupert "Gypsy" Bent III – guitars, keyboards, percussion, vocals (1989, 1994)
- Leroy "Baarbe" Romans – keyboards (1997–1999)
- Mikel Wallace – keyboards (1999)
- Herbie Harris – keyboards (2002–2010)
Discography[edit]
Singles[edit]
| Title | Year | Label | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | |||
| "Railroad Track" | 1975 | Island | – | — |
| "96º In The Shade" | 1977 | Island | — | — |
| "Now That We Found Love" | 1978 | Island | 10 | 47 |
| "Cool Meditation" | 1979 | Island | 17 | — |
| "One Cold Vibe (Couldn't Stop Dis Ya Boogie)" | 1979 | Island | — | — |
| "Tonight for Me" | 1979 | Island | — | — |
| "The Story's Been Told" | 1979 | Island | — | — |
| "Talk to Me" | 1979 | Island | 54 | — |
| "Always Around" | 1979 | Jah's Music/Island | — | — |
| "Street Fighting" | 1980 | Cav Lip | — | — |
| "Now That We've Found Love" | 1980 | Mango | — | — |
| "Rooths With Quality" | 198? | Observers | — | — |
| "Dancing on the Floor (Hooked on Love)" | 1981 | CBS | 10 | — |
| "Standing in the Rain" | 1981 | CBS | — | — |
| "Try Jah Love" | 1982 | CBS | 47 | 101 |
| "You're Playing Us Too Close" | 1982 | Columbia | — | — |
| "Ride On" | 1982 | CBS | — | — |
| "Love Is Out to Get You" | 1983 | CBS | — | — |
| "Lagos Jump" | 1983 | CBS | — | — |
| "Sense of Purpose" | 1985 | CBS | — | — |
| "One More Time" | 1985 | CBS | — | — |
| "One to One" | 1985 | Columbia | — | — |
| "Now That We Found Love" (re-issue) | 1985 | Island | 22[17] | — |
| "Hold on To Love" | 1987 | CBS | — | — |
| "Over Due" | 1987 | Jah's Music | — | — |
| "The Spirit Lives" | 1987 | Columbia | — | — |
| "It's the Same Old Song" | 1989 | Mercury | — | — |
| "Forbidden Love" | 1989 | Mercury | — | — |
| "Live in the Balance" | 1991 | Jah's Music | — | — |
| "Committed" | 1992 | Mercury | — | — |
| "Talk To Me" | 1994 | Great Jones | — | — |
| "Now That We Found Love" (re-issue) | 1996 | Big Time International | — | — |
| "Dem Man Deh" | 1996 | Taxi | — | — |
| "Baltimore" | 1997 | Taxi | — | — |
| "Reggae Party" feat. Shaggy | 1999 | Eagle | — | — |
| "Dread Eyes" | 2000 | Reggae Blitz | — | — |
| "Ya Ya Ya Jamaica" | 2001 | BMG | — | — |
| "96 Degrees Cover (2nd Generation)" feat. Stephen & Damian Marley | 2011 | Third World Music Group | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
Albums[edit]
- Studio albums
| Title | Year | Label | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | |||
| Third World | 1976 | Island | — | — |
| 96° in the Shade | 1977 | Island | — | 203 |
| Journey to Addis | 1978 | Island | 30 | 55 |
| The Story's Been Told | 1979 | Island | — | 157 |
| Arise in Harmony | 1980 | Island | — | 206 |
| Rock the World | 1981 | CBS | 37 | 186 |
| You've Got the Power | 1982 | Columbia | 87 | 63 |
| All the Way Strong | 1983 | CBS | — | 137 |
| Sense of Purpose | 1985 | CBS | – | 119 |
| Hold on to Love | 1987 | Columbia | – | — |
| Serious Business | 1989 | Mercury | — | 107 |
| Rock the World | 1990 | Columbia | – | — |
| Committed | 1992 | Mercury | – | — |
| Live It Up | 1995 | Bud Music | – | — |
| Generation Coming | 1999 | Déclic Communication | – | — |
| The Story's Been Told | 1999 | Island | – | — |
| Ain't Givin' Up | 2003 | Shanachie | – | — |
| Riddim Haffa Rule | 2004 | Music Avenue | – | — |
| Black Gold Green | 2006 | Nocturne | – | — |
| Patriots | 2010 | Third World Music Group | – | — |
| Under the Magic Sun | 2014 | Cleopatra | – | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
| Third World | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genres | Reggae,Funk,Disco ,Ska |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Labels | Cleopatra, Island, Columbia,Mercury, Third World Music Group |
| Associated acts | Inner Circle |
| Website |
thirdworldband |
| Members |
Stephen "Cat" Coore Richard Daley Tony "Ruption" Williams Maurice Gregory Norris "Noreiga" Webb AJ Brown |
| Past members |
Michael "Ibo" Cooper Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett Carl Barovier Milton "Prilly" Hamilton Bunny Rugs (deceased) Willie Stewart Rupert "Gypsy" Bent III Leroy "Baarbe" Romans Mikel Wallace Herbie Harris Robbie Lynn |