Third World remains one of most enduring and popular Jamaican bands in the world. Unlike many Jamaican reggae bands, comprised of hungry street kids with raw talent, no formal musical training and only their passion and drive to spur them to the top, the members of Third World come from the Kingston middle class.
The band was founded in 1973 by Stephen "Cat" Coore and Michael "Ibo" Cooper. Cooper is a policeman's son while Coore's father was a deputy prime minister who also taught music. Both Coore and Cooper received formal musical training at Forster Davis School of Music and Kingston's Royal School of Music respectively. Each also had solo and group experience on the Kingston reggae circuit. Cooper and Coore met while playing for Inner Circle. Other charter members include Richard Daley, Milton Hamilton (another Inner Circle veteran), Irwin "Carrot" Jarrett (a veteran percussionist with considerable concert and television production experience), and Cornel Marshal. From the start, the band was meant to be self-contained, a rarity back then. Third World did this so they could perform wherever they wanted rather than constantly scrambling for musicians or a sound system to support their singing.
Third World remains one of most enduring and popular Jamaican bands in the world. Unlike many Jamaican reggae bands, comprised of hungry street kids with raw talent, no formal musical training and only their passion and drive to spur them to the top, the members of Third World come from the Kingston middle class.
The band was founded in 1973 by Stephen "Cat" Coore and Michael "Ibo" Cooper. Cooper is a policeman's son while Coore's father was a deputy prime minister who also taught music. Both Coore and Cooper received formal musical training at Forster Davis School of Music and Kingston's Royal School of Music respectively. Each also had solo and group experience on the Kingston reggae circuit. Cooper and Coore met while playing for Inner Circle. Other charter members include Richard Daley, Milton Hamilton (another Inner Circle veteran), Irwin "Carrot" Jarrett (a veteran percussionist with considerable concert and television production experience), and Cornel Marshal. From the start, the band was meant to be self-contained, a rarity back then. Third World did this so they could perform wherever they wanted rather than constantly scrambling for musicians or a sound system to support their singing.
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