Stranger Cole, ska pioneer and Jamaican music legend, dead at 83
Stranger Cole, the veteran ska and rocksteady musician who is credited with releasing the first-ever reggae song, has died at the age of 83.
His passing was confirmed to the Jamaica Observer by the musician’s son, Wilburn ‘Squiddly’ Cole, yesterday, June 11th.
No official cause of death has been provided at the time of writing. However, Cole’s family did reveal that he had been admitted to the hospital two weeks ago following an extended period of illness.
First emerging onto the airwaves of Kingston back in 1962, Cole was at the forefront of the post-independence boom of ska, rocksteady, and soundsystem culture in Jamaica. Finding early successes as a jobbing songwriter, Cole soon entered the island’s expanding recording industry as an artist in his own right.
Having worked alongside the likes of Ken Boothe, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and Prince Buster, among countless other legendary names in Jamaican music, Cole’s output became integral to the vibrant music scene of the Caribbean island nation.
His early recordings, like ‘Rough and Tough’ for producer Duke Reid, set Stranger Cole on a path to becoming a key figure within the development of reggae music. Six years later, in 1968, he was credited with being the first recording artist to have cut a reggae song, with ‘Bangarang’, also created for Duke Reid.
‘Stranger’ was a nickname that Cole, born Wilburn Theodore Cole, earned during his childhood, owing to the fact that he didn’t bear any resemblance to either of his parents, or his brothers and sisters.
In the years that followed, his name became a constant source for ska, rocksteady, and reggae excellence, right up until his twilight years. Only last year, in fact, Cole performed a tour of Australia, reaffirming both his lasting talent and the global appeal of his output.
His legacy continues to this day, with the reggae sounds that are still emanating from Jamaica owing to his pioneering influence back in the 1960s.
Cole is survived by his seven children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, many of whom have followed in his musical footsteps.
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