9 THE MONTHLY GLEANER | APRIL 17 - MAY 23, 2023 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | ENTERTAINMENT Stephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer MARKING THE Third World band’s golden anniversary, Ronnie Tomlinson, public relations and communications manager of the Love and Harmony Cruise, presented the musicians with an honorary award to express gratitude for their contribution to the cruise and to the culture, following their performance at the Solid Love All-White Concert last Friday night. “For five decades, Third World has been an essential part of the global music scene, spreading messages of love, unity, and positivity through their unparalleled sound. Through their music, Third World has become an ambassador for Jamaica, showcasing the beauty and culture of the island to the world. Their influence and contributions to reggae music are immeasurable, and they have inspired generations of artistes to follow in their footsteps,” Tomlinson said in her speech. She added, “As we celebrate this special milestone, let us not forget the impact that ThirdWorld has had on the world. Their music has transcended borders and brought people together, breaking down cultural barriers and promoting a message of harmony… here’s to another 50 years of their music, continuing to inspire us all.” Foundingmember andmulti-instrumentalist Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore could hardly find the words to express gratitude on behalf of the band, who he referred to as “family”. As he and Tony ‘Ruption’ Williams, the percussionist of the group passed the crystal facet tower trophy to the each other, Coore said, “Love and Harmony, my family here, breeze nearly blowme down, but you hold me up. Nuff respect and love, gentlemen, this is yours.” Speaking to The Gleaner, he said, “There is definitely more work to be done,”which, ironically, is the name of their 2020 Grammy-nominated work, produced by Damian ‘Jr Gong’Marley. ThirdWorld holds the record of having nine Grammy Award nominations but no wins thus far, for which Coore, offered, “we feel honoured each time”. Their first-ever Grammy Award nomination was for Best Ethnic of Traditional Folk Recording for Reggae Sunsplash ’81: A Tribute to Bob Marley in the 25th Annual Grammy Award in 1983 on which they had two songs, Rock TheWorld and the hit single 1865 (96 Degrees in the Shade). The album featured other bands such as Steel Pulse, Mighty Diamonds, and Black Uhuru, as well as Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers, I Three, Carlene Davis, Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Brown. In the Best Reggae Album category, ThirdWorld’s nominations include Hold On To Love (1988); Serious Business (1990); Committed (1993); Live It Up (1996); Generation Coming (2000); Ain’t Giving Up (2004); Black, Gold and Green (2006); and MoreWork To Be Done (2020). Coore revealed that the band is already working with Jr Gong on the production of a new album, “which hopefully can be done in time for submission to the awards’ committee later this year”. “As soon as we have more information to give, we will informour supporters. Right now, we are just extremely grateful for the love and respect we have been getting and hope we can contribute more to the culture,”Coore continued. stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com Third World Band honoured on Love and Harmony Cruise Members of Third World band show their appreciation after they are honoured on stage the Love and Harmony Cruise by Ronnie Tomlinson, public relations and communications manager, who presented them with a plaque from the organisers in recognition of their 50 years in the music industry. PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE LYEW Stephanie Lyew/Gleaner Writer COUNTLESS TOURS, several brand endorsements and eight World Sound Clash Championship titles later, internationally acclaimed sound system pioneers, Mighty Crown, has announced their retirement. Established in Yokohama, in 1991, the group has been influencing and leading on the dancehall scene in Japan and not only represented for their birthplace but have carved their names as global ambassadors for the Jamaican genres of music. In 1993, when they started clashing other Japanese sound systems, they became known as the ‘undisputed and undefeated sound clash champions’ in Japan. Originators of the annual Yokohama Reggae Sai event, Mighty Crown has attracted over 30,000 people annually to the central baseball stadium. “Sound system culture birthed everything we have accomplished. We had a great run. We are satisfied, happy business men now ... who started off in sound system culture but we don’t want to stop there. Leaving the game will allow us to represent sound culture in an even bigger way,” said Mighty Crown co-founder Sami T to The Gleaner. He added, “So, why retire now? The time is right. After this year, all our dubs will be locked away and Mighty Crown members will stop playing altogether but can continue to work together on other projects. One of our greatest successes has been forming a family among all Mighty Crown members, where each person is valued and plays a different role.” Sami T also explained that he, along with the other members of the sound – Masta Simon, Cojie and Ninja – never planned to be involved in the industry for as long as three decades but from early in their careers, gained popularity that they were able to capitalise on and retirement allows for 100 per cent focus to be placed on other businesses. Mighty Crown’s myriad of businesses and commercial ventures have catapulted the sound to a prime position, worth further cultivating he said. “Enabling growth for the Mighty Crown brand has always been our key focus; the goal was never to become just a sound team. Our ambition was always to work hard to become popular and then market our popularity to open doors for other businesses, including our own Nine Rulaz clothing line and a label, Lifestyle Records, which was signed to a major label here in Japan, where we were able to help and further develop Japanese reggae,” he said. “I believe we became one of the sound clash arena’s most visible and respected sound teams and used that to score five sneaker collaborations with Nike, one with Diadora in Italy, one with French brand, La Coq Sportif, one with Clae and we also partnered with Clarks Originals a second time to release five new, custom shoes. Now, as we celebrate 30 years, there are some major opportunities on the table, which will not allow us to focus on being soundmen with the discipline needed to win competitions. We will, however, be sound men, mentally, for the rest over our lives.” TOUR Having lived in the US from the early ‘90s, they gradually learned the Jamaican language and “the dancehall flex” by frequenting studios, record shops, and engaging music loves in the streets of Brooklyn, New York. With their tour, ‘The Final Round Tour’, culminating the three decades in the entertainment industry, Mighty Crown shared that it is “emotional”. Currently under way, the tour sees them travelling across Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Caribbean region. The first leg of the tour dubbed ‘Early Juggling’ was in Japan from March 17-22 and featured popular disc jockey and radio personality David Rodigan. The 30th anniversary commemorations will officially conclude with the five-day Far East Reggae Cruise, the first reggae-themed cruise to touch the Asian region, sailing from Japan to Korea aboard the luxurious MSC Bellissima from July 15 to July 20. It will feature performances by leading Japanese and Jamaican recording artistes and sound systems. It was inspired by Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley’s Welcome to Jamrock cruise, Sami T shared. “We always wanted Japanese people to fall in love with the real culture and not be fooled by the commercialised version of Jamaican culture. Having travelled the world to entertain fans with reggae and dancehall, now, we’re asking the world to come to our side of the world and witness our last performances, which many have never enjoyed or experienced. There are a lot of emotions with this serving as the ultimate farewell, and our final connection with the people we love, the authentic people of reggae and dancehall,” he said. Although the sound may be playing its final round, Mighty Crown’s manager Garfield‘Chin’Bourne of Irish and Chin, said there are still select performance dates available fromMarch to June. He commended the team on a job well done. “The entire teamhas achieved something that even the greats before did not accomplish. For me, one of the most memorable endorsements was our first sneaker deal with Nike because when those sneakers were released, it changed the game; people were lined up for blocks at the Mighty Crown store inYokohama, Japan, to buy a pair. It was a confidence builder. It said we were on the right track and we are about to take the game to another level,” Chin said. stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com ‘We had a great run’ Sound systemMighty Crown satisfied with track record, retires Mighty Crown CONTRIBUTED
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