Etana and Third World

Forming out of the ashes of the band Inner Circle, the founding line up of Third World consisted of keys player Michael Cooper, guitarist Stephen Coore and singer Milton Hamilton coming together in 1973. By 1974, they had made their live debut backed by bassist Richard Daley, drummer Carl Barovier and percussion Irvin Jarrett and were soon making a name for themselves in the reggae clubs and hotels of their native Kingston. They made such an impact that they were able to support The Jackson 5 themselves at the Jamaican National Stadium, but like many reggae acts of their time, the first territory that truly took the band to heart was the United Kingdom, where they signed to Island Records before embarking on their first European tour in support of The Wailers.

Their self-titled debut album was released in 1976, and by the time they'd released their second album, 1977's “96° in the Shade”, they'd become one of the hottest reggae acts in the world, hugely in demand for live shows and attracting an audience of just over 80'000 at 1976's Smile Jamaica Festival. This hype translated into the band's first bona-fide hit single, which came in the form of 1978's “Now That We Found Love”. The cover of The O'Jay's single was a top ten hit in the U.K and a top 50 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and by the early 80's, the band were in their imperial phase. However, internal friction within the band meant that Jarrett left in the mid-80's, but to this day, despite several line up changes, the band is still lead by Coore and Daley, playing live shows that are better than ever, and still releasing records that sound as fresh as their debut. For being the kind of band that any group would want to be four decades into their career, Third World come highly recommended.