‘More Work to be Done’ for Third World

Reggae Month in February was bittersweet. While it celebrated the legacy of the pioneers who made reggae an internationally recognised genre, it was also a time to recognise the mortality of those who had recently passed away and whose contribution is unquestioned. One such pioneer was Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, founding member of the iconic reggae band Third World, whose musical dexterity was second to none. He was not only a multi-instrumentalist but also a singer whose lyrics were profound and enduring. Cat Coore died on January 18, leaving a void that will be hard to fill.

Third World lead vocalist AJ Brown, an established artiste in his own right, shared that the loss of Cat Coore has been deep-seated and personally devastating. Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner, Brown shared his memories of Cat Coore and what it meant to be the lead singer and a member of one of the most recognisable bands to emerge from Jamaica’s shores.

“I have been with Third World officially since February 2014. It happened through my manager at the time, George Golding, who was the one who helped to orchestrate it and make it happen,” Brown recalled.

He shared that although the relationship was concretised in 2014, he had worked with the band decades before that. “It was always a good synergy with a long history with the band. The song Love People was one I co-wrote with [co-founder Michael] ‘Ibo’ Cooper, and it turned out to be a major hit for me, and the association was nurtured over the years. With that kind of relationship, the business part of the music, like publishing, ownership, and royalties, was not only introduced to me, but I was guided through that. Ibo was also able to get it into a movie called Club Paradise, and I was able to create a portfolio that I am benefiting from now.”

Brown also spoke about his early days at art school, back when the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts was called the Cultural Training Centre, as part of the first batch of students, which required him to live in Kingston. “I got to work closely with them at that time, and I ended up doing a couple of background harmonies on some of their songs, including We Give the People What They Need.”

For Brown, several Third World songs resonate with him due to the potency of the lyrics. “ African Woman is an emotionally charged song for me as it not only reflects the lyrical prowess of Bunny Rugs, but it is also poignant because it speaks to the struggles that men went through at that time in the ‘70s and ‘80s, where consciousness and awareness were alive, but they had to deal with different obstacles,” he shared.

FAVOURITE SONGS

He also selected Reggae Ambassador, Irie Ites, 96 Degrees [in the Shade], Now That We Found Love, and others, as songs that he enjoys listening to and singing.

“I have reached a point now where I have a nice, symbiotic relationship between the essence of Bunny Rugs and my personal style of singing. And doing those songs and getting the reaction from audiences all over the world is what tells me that I’m doing something that is not only enjoyable, but also necessary for spiritual and emotional upliftment. All of these songs balance the human psyche and consciousness. I’ve been told that some of these songs help to reset people’s lives daily and rekindle and reinvigorate all the positive essence that comes to the fore when these songs are shared.”

Working with Coore, he said, was a privilege. “Coore was a one-of-a-kind soul. It was not only a privilege but also just a positive and constant reach for excellence. That is what drove Cat Coore and Third World to where we are now. He has an eye and an ear for talent, and being able to be the voice of Third World for the past 12 years has made me see his vision to use all the talent of the members of the band to create that sound and that feeling that envelops a lot of fans all over the world. Being able to tour the world and walk together on stage to perform every night, I felt like an evangelist because I felt like I was doing a service to the souls of the world as we were promoting positive energy. I had always wanted to tour the world and share my voice with the world, and I was able to do that with and through him.”

Brown added that over the years, they shared many memorable moments on stage. “For me, my first European tour in Poland, to Woodstock in the summer of 2014, when I ended up performing for the biggest crowd I have ever seen, of close to a million people, was eye-opening. Then there is Reggae on the Rock in Colorado, which is a phenomenal venue acoustically, as it is almost perfect how the rock formation was compatible musically. Plus, three years ago at the Glastonbury Festival in England, where we did such a phenomenal performance, the BBC carried it for a whole week. Our rendition of Time to Say Goodbye was a viral hit shared by thousands.”

His death, Brown said, has definitely impacted him. “I feel emotionally and spiritually drained just trying to come to terms with it, but I am still driven to maintain the integrity of the sound and the brand that he has created, developed, and tweaked over the years. It’s a great loss. His talent [was] not only playing guitar, but singing, doing backup, playing the cello, and just sharing his unique musical talent was extraordinary. He is definitely going to be missed.”

The dynamics of the band, he emphasised, are still very much intact. “Before Cat passed away, he was comfortable with the sound that came from the stage. There were times when we were rehearsing, and he would just break down in tears, based on what he heard, because what we were doing was true and authentic.”

NEW ALBUM

Project-wise, the band still has an album to finish with Damian Marley. “We had made an arrangement for two albums, and we did one and released it called More Work to be Done, and from that album came You Are Not The Only One and Loving You is Easy, which was featured in a French movie. We also did a lot of work with acts like Tarrus Riley and Tessanne Chin, and we’ve already laid tracks for potentially six songs in different levels of completion, so we are still on track to finishing up the second album, hopefully before the end of 2026.”

As for Brown, he still writes and performs as a solo act. “I’m still lyrically proactive, so projects can start at any time in terms of new material. I just released a song called Dancehall Ball, which has been climbing the charts steadily. So I’m doing the balancing act of being a solo act and also being the lead singer for a well-established band like Third World. It shows the levels of things achieved over the years. So I feel good about the position I have of sharing two great brands with the world. So I’m very stoked right now. The intention is to continue with being a reggae ambassador and sharing our brand of music with the world.”

nicola.cunningham@gleanerjm.com