Third World receives “Sumfest Lifetime Achievement” award and dedicates it to its fellow musicians

When Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore crossed the stage on the second night of Reggae Sumfest last night to receive this year's Lifetime Achievement Award, satisfaction was written on his face. With latent happiness plastered on his face, smiled with pride when the CEO of Downsound Entertainment, Joe Bogdanovich, gave him the plate.

When the hostess Miss Kitty asked him to say a few words, many may have expected Coore to delight in the long list of achievements that led to the band being selected as the winner of this year's prestigious award.. Instead, Humbly honored he said he never expected it and dedicated the award to his fellow musicians who, due to COVID-19, they have not been able to practice their trade effectively.

In an interview with the Jamaican newspaper The Sunday Gleaner after leaving the stage, Coore said that in 46 years of band history, they had never witnessed something like the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that having seen how the virus has affected the music industry, He felt it appropriate that he dedicate the award to his colleagues as a means of encouraging them to stay on track despite all that has happened.

“This was going to be a great year for everyone when everything stopped.. This thing (Coronavirus) has really devastated the entertainment industry. But it was remarkable when I got here tonight and I saw everyone looking so optimistic. The camaraderie between the musicians, the artists, the production team was really special to witness, and it should be even more than this honor, although it's a lifetime achievement award for Third World, it's really for the industry. As a band, we couldn't have done this alone, and just as we all try to get out of this pandemic, I want this award to be a testimony that together we can achieve anything “, He said.

Praising the Reggae Sumfest team for highlighting the band's musical achievements, Coore said he was a little surprised when he got the call., since he never expected to be recognized, especially not with the current music climate. “This is not exactly the time when one is thinking about awards, but that's what makes it so special. When hard work prepares to pay off, doesn't have a timeline. We have worked hard over the years, we have received many successes and we have had many ups and downs. This is a high and unexpected achievement ”, he said and added “I give thanks for the 46 years we have had as a band in this business, and I feel blessed to be recognized for all the years that we have dedicated”.

With the years, Third World has been awarded several accolades for its contribution to reggae music. They have been nominated for the Reggae Grammy Award nine times., including the last edition of the awards last February. Coore said that although the band hoped to win the Grammy Reggae this time for their album "More Work To Be Done", The Sumfest Lifetime Achievement Award makes up for the gold gramophone in several ways.

"Any award given by our people is very special, so this means a lot. This makes up for the Grammy because it comes at an extraordinary time. As I said, with everything that was happening, the last thing we expected was to receive an award, for which we thank them for it ”.

Third World is one of the oldest reggae bands of all time and one of the most popular in Jamaica with the international public. Mixing R elements&B, funk, pop, rock y, later, dancehall and rap, Third World's style has been described as “reggae fusion”. His catalog of successful hits includes "Now That We Found Love", “96 Degrees in the Shade” y “Try Jah Love”, to name a few.

Source: The Gleaner Jamaica