Third World

Third World ranks among reggae’s most enduring ensembles, sustaining its status as one of Jamaica’s most reliable crossover successes with international listeners across more than four decades. Throughout the 1980s the group frequently registered on both American and British charts by weaving pop and soul textures around a reggae foundation, as heard on the 1989 album Serious Business.

Keyboardist Michael “Ibo” Cooper and guitarist/cellist Steven “Cat” Coore established Third World in 1973. Each musician had studied at Jamaican conservatories and performed on the Kingston circuit before becoming early members of Inner Circle around 1968. Upon leaving that ensemble to launch their own project, they brought Inner Circle bassist Richard Daley along and added drummer Carl Barovier, percussionist Irvin “Carrot” Jarrett, and lead vocalist Milton “Prilly” Hamilton. Barovier soon gave way to Cornell Marshall, and the band made its first public appearance that same year at Jamaica’s independence festivities. The musicians quickly built a local following on the Kingston club circuit, distinguished by their ability to perform entirely with their own players rather than depending on sound-system playback. Because most Jamaican labels were controlled by sound-system operators, Third World bypassed the domestic industry by touring England and securing a deal with the globally oriented Island Records. The label released the debut single “Railroad Track” in 1974 and booked the group as an opening act for Bob Marley & the Wailers across Europe. Their self-titled first album arrived in 1976 and included a well-received reading of the Abyssinians’ roots staple “Satta Massagana.” The 1977 follow-up, 96° in the Shade, introduced drummer Willie “Roots” Stewart and lead singer William Clarke, known as Bunny Rugs; the set earned widespread critical praise in Britain and Europe while yielding the enduring title-track single. That momentum carried the band to its commercial breakthrough with 1978’s Journey to Addis, highlighted by a funky, disco-inflected reggae treatment of the O’Jays’ “Now That We Found Love.” The track reached the American R&B Top Ten in 1979, elevating Third World to international prominence.

The group pressed forward with The Story’s Been Told later in 1979, which entered the U.S. charts at a lower peak than its predecessor. Two further albums appeared in 1980—Rise in Harmony and the film soundtrack Prisoner in the Street—concluding the Island era. Signing with CBS, Third World issued Rock the World in 1981, which produced another major crossover success with “Dancing on the Floor (Hooked on Love),” a British Top Ten entry. During the 1981 Reggae Sunsplash Festival, Stevie Wonder guested onstage for his Bob Marley tribute “Master Blaster (Jammin’)”; the collaboration proved fruitful enough that Wonder composed and produced two tracks for the next album, 1982’s You’ve Got the Power. Success persisted through the decade: All the Way Strong (1983) and Sense of Purpose (1985) both reached the R&B Top 50, with the latter yielding modest crossover singles in the title song, “One on One,” and “One More Time,” the last of which featured contemporary club-oriented dance production. Hold on to Love (1987) fared less strongly, prompting a move to Mercury after parting with CBS. The 1989 Mercury debut Serious Business restored the band’s standing with American R&B audiences, climbing into the Top 30 behind the major crossover single “Forbidden Love,” one of the earliest commercially viable reggae-rap hybrids and featuring Stetsasonic’s Daddy O. The follow-up, the dancehall-inflected Committed (1992), marked Third World’s final major-label release. Their own label issued the 1994 concert recording Live It Up, which welcomed guitarist, keyboardist, percussionist, and occasional vocalist Rupert Bent into the lineup. Founding members Michael “Ibo” Cooper and Willie Stewart departed in 1997, replaced respectively by keyboardist Leroy “Baarbe” Romans and drummer Tony “Ruption” Williams. This configuration delivered Generation Coming in 1999, which included guest appearances by Shaggy and Bounty Killer. Romans later stepped aside for Herbie Harris, who appeared on 2003’s Ain’t Givin’ Up. That year the band marked twenty-five years of activity by re-recording its catalog for 25th Anniversary. Two years afterward they released Black, Gold, Green, featuring Beres Hammond, Wayne Marshall, and Blu Fox. The 2011 album Patriots brought together guest vocalists Gregory Isaacs, Capleton, Tarrus Riley, and Marley brothers Stephen and Damian. Beyond numerous live documents, the band continued issuing studio projects with 2014’s Under the Magic Sun and the high-energy More Work to Be Done in 2019; the latter showcased contributions from Busy Signal, Chronixx, Pressure Busspipe, and additional rising reggae artists.