Stranger Cole, ska and rocksteady pioneer, has died
Stranger Cole, the pioneer ska/rocksteady singer known for songs like Bangarang and Just Like A River, died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on June 11. He was 83 years-old.
His son, drummer Wilburn “Squiddly” Cole, confirmed his death in an interview with the Jamaica Observer. He said his father was admitted to hospital two weeks ago after ailing for some time, but did not disclose a cause of death.
Cole was raised in the Trench Town community of Kingston, which was a hotbed of musical activity during the early 1960s, when ska was taking off in the city’s clubs and dance ‘lawns’.
His initial hit songs, Rough And Tough and When You Call my Name (with Patsy Todd) were produced by Duke Reid. They were followed by Just Like A River (with keyboardist Gladstone Anderson) and Bangarang (with Lester Sterling of The Skatalites).
Stranger Cole played major roles in the early careers of Ken Boothe and The Mighty Diamonds. He wrote and produced Oh My Baby, the latter’s first song.
In the early 1970s, Cole migrated to Toronto, Canada where he became part of the city’s growing reggae community. His years there are recalled in Ruff and Tuff — Stranger Cole’s Toronto Roots, a 2018 documentary by Australian Chris Flanagan and Canadian Graeme Mathieson.
In an interview with the Observer, Flanagan hailed Cole’s contribution to reggae’s growth in Canada.
“Stranger Cole made a vital contribution to reggae in Canada in the ‘70s and ‘80s, recording on labels such as Half Moon, and Ron Lew. He also founded his own record label to showcase local artistes’ talents and performed with the band Chalawa,” said Flanagan. “He ran one of the first Caribbean businesses in Toronto’s vibrant Kensington Market neighbourhood and introduced a lot of younger Canadians to reggae via his legendary record shop.”
Wilburn “Stranger” Cole is survived by seven children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
