Pioneering, GRAMMY Award-winning British roots reggae band Steel Pulse paid tribute to Third World co-founder Stephen “Cat” Coore, who died suddenly on Sunday, Jan. 18, at age 69.
Born April 6, 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica, Coore spent over five decades as Third World’s guitarist and cellist.
Born April 6, 1956, in Kingston, Jamaica, Coore spent over five decades as Third World’s guitarist and cellist.
Steel Pulse expressed their condolences, stating on social media: “To wake up and learn that Stephen Cat Coore has just made the transition is a bitter pill to swallow. No more chance meetings at the lounges at Miami Airport. No more sharing the same billing at festivals; no more guest appearances at events in the Caribbean; no more time together at the GRAMMYS; no more kind words or calls from him out of the blue.”
“So many things about Cat Coore that leave me an everlasting impression and memory of him, but this is one that touched me most of all,” Steel Pulse added. “He came to see us perform in London when Steel Pulse was still a nobody, not even a household name. It left an overwhelming impression on me that an extremely talented star from out of Jamaica took time out to come listen to a band that could barely string three chords together.
“He wasn’t about profiling. He was for real. Wow! … and losing him on Dr. Martin Luther King Day, too,” it continued. “This has rocked the reggae genre to the core (believe me, no pun intended). With Bunny, Ibo, Carrot, Willie, Rupert, and Richie, all out of the picture, this man tried his hardest to keep the flame of Third World burning.
“Such a unique approach to guitar playing that only a guitar player that’s searching for his own personal identity when it comes to style would understand,” Steel Pulse said. “Flawless, night after night. And I will say it again, Third World is one of the best bands ever to have come out of Jamaica, and will forever remain number 1 in our books for crossing over our genre of music to the world’s international music industry.”
Steele Pulse went on: “Tony Ruption, AJ, Norris, Richard, and co., Steel Pulse is begging you to keep the flame burning. Our heart goes out to Shiah, Donna, Richie Daley, and Willie Stewart. Wow! The Legends are leaving us.”
In November 2023, the Caribbean American Heritage Awards (CAHA) in Washington, D.C., honored Coore with its Luminary Award.
The Award noted Coore’s father, David Hilton Coore, was a Jamaican scholar, Deputy Prime Minister (1972-1976), and served under three ministries.
His mother, Rita Angela Innis Coore, Trinidadian by birth, studied music and broadcasting at McGill University in Montreal and later at the Royal College of London, CAHA said.
It said Angela was taught by Lloyd Webber, whose son, Andrew Lloyd Webber, became one of the most famous Broadway writers of all time.
The Award said that, from a very early age, Cat’s mother noticed that, when she played music in the house, that it had an impact on the young Stephen; and, when he was 4, she began to teach him a few simple things on the piano.
“Rita at the time had become one of Jamaica’s most respected music teachers and a favorite adopted daughter of Jamaica,” the Award said. “However, Cat did not show a great deal of love for the piano but would walk in circles every time she played her Pablo Casals records, since Casals was probably the greatest cellist ever she thought.
“Rita at the time had become one of Jamaica’s most respected music teachers and a favorite adopted daughter of Jamaica,” the Award said. “However, Cat did not show a great deal of love for the piano but would walk in circles every time she played her Pablo Casals records, since Casals was probably the greatest cellist ever she thought.
“This proved to be the right move as Cat immediately took to the instrument and thus started his love for string instruments,” the Award said.
It said he studied with Noel Foster Davis, whom Cat credits for the rest of his musical background. He performed on many stages with the cello.
It said he studied with Noel Foster Davis, whom Cat credits for the rest of his musical background. He performed on many stages with the cello.
The Award said two of the more memorable ones were when he played the piece, “The Swan,” for Princess Anne at Kings House and winning a silver medal in the Jamaica festival at 10, when all other contestants were much older.
According to CAHA, when Cat turned 12 in 1968, he fell in love with Ska and Pop music, and later Rocksteady and Reggae.
It said he loved the Beatles and asked his mom for a guitar, and she obliged, “and this started a love like no other.
“He progressed so fast that he joined the Inner Circle when he was 13 as lead guitarist,” CAHA said.
According to CAHA, when Cat turned 12 in 1968, he fell in love with Ska and Pop music, and later Rocksteady and Reggae.
It said he loved the Beatles and asked his mom for a guitar, and she obliged, “and this started a love like no other.
“He progressed so fast that he joined the Inner Circle when he was 13 as lead guitarist,” CAHA said.
It said he stayed with Inner Circle for four years and performed throughout Jamaica and the Caribbean, and did one or two shows in North America.
In 1971, CAHA said Cat played on the top festival song, “Cherry O Baby,” which went on to win the Jamaica Festival Song Competition, as was his first commercial recording credit.
CAHA said he received JA$10.
In 1971, CAHA said Cat played on the top festival song, “Cherry O Baby,” which went on to win the Jamaica Festival Song Competition, as was his first commercial recording credit.
CAHA said he received JA$10.
At 17 and longing to do something different, it said Cat started a group with his friend Colin Leslie and, shortly thereafter, was joined by his lifelong friend Ibo Cooper.
CAHA said this was the genesis of Third World.
CAHA said this was the genesis of Third World.
Cat had been the guitarist and cellist for 50-plus years with Third World, during which there were great successes, top-charted hits, nine GRAMMY nominations, the United Nations Medal of Peace, and various other awards both globally and in Jamaica.
CAHA said Cat was awarded the National Honors with the Order of Distinction of Jamaica in 2005.
It said Cat had also received several awards and accolades including the Key to the Cities of Key West, FL; Brooklyn, NY’ Atlantic City, NJ; Hollywood, FL and Hartford, CT; The National Black Arts Awards by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; The JaRia Instrumentalist of the Year; Lifetime Achievement Awards by Jamaica Jazz and Blues and Reggae Sumfest; Island Records; and IRAWMA’s, among others.
It said Cat had also received several awards and accolades including the Key to the Cities of Key West, FL; Brooklyn, NY’ Atlantic City, NJ; Hollywood, FL and Hartford, CT; The National Black Arts Awards by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; The JaRia Instrumentalist of the Year; Lifetime Achievement Awards by Jamaica Jazz and Blues and Reggae Sumfest; Island Records; and IRAWMA’s, among others.
CAHA said Cat was the ambassador for the Alligator Head Foundation in Port Antonio, Jamaica, as well as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Issa Trust Foundation in Jamaica.
Cat’s main musical inspirations were Pablo Casals, Jacqueline du Pré, Bob Marley, and Carlos Santana. Besides his passion for music.
Cat’s main musical inspirations were Pablo Casals, Jacqueline du Pré, Bob Marley, and Carlos Santana. Besides his passion for music.
The Jamaica Gleaner said on Monday, Jan. 19, that Cat was “a founding member and musical director of Third World, whose pioneering fusion of reggae, soul, funk, pop, and rock helped shape the reggae-fusion sound and propel Jamaican music onto the global stage.
“Under his musical leadership, Third World achieved international acclaim with enduring classics such as Now That We’ ve Found Love, 96 Degrees in the Shade, and Try Jah Love, becoming one of Jamaica’s longest-running and most successful bands,” the publication said.
“Celebrated for his exceptional musicianship, compositional brilliance, and deep musical knowledge, Coore was widely regarded as a cultural ambassador who elevated reggae music and inspired generations of artists at home and abroad,” it added.
“In recognition of his outstanding contribution to Jamaican culture and the creative arts, Coore was awarded membership in the Order of Distinction (OD) by the Government of Jamaica, honoring his decades of service to music and his role in promoting Jamaica’s cultural legacy worldwide,” the Gleaner continued.
