Last week, a package arrived at my doorstep from the phenomenal Aggroshop, which included, among other things, the Stranger Cole and Patsy LP. While this record has been spinning regularly on my turntable as I prepare a review of it, the sad news arrived that Wilburn Theodore Cole, better known by his stage name Stranger Cole, has passed away.
Stranger Cole was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1942, and it was there that he also passed away this year. During his lifetime, he became known as one of the pioneers of ska and reggae music. Some sources even claim that his song Bangarang, recorded in 1968 at Treasure Isle Studio with saxophonist and future producer Lester Sterling, was the very first reggae song ever recorded.
From the early 1960s onward, Stranger Cole worked with virtually every major Jamaican producer. The list includes names such as Duke Reid, Prince Buster, Coxsone Dodd, Byron Lee, Joe Gibbs, Lee Perry, Leslie Kong, Bunny Lee, and Sonia Pottinger. Alongside his solo career, he was also involved in numerous successful collaborations. He is perhaps best known for his duet recordings with artists such as Hortense Ellis, Gladstone Anderson, Ken Boothe, and Millicent “Patsy” Todd.
His album Royal, released by Aggrobeat, featured his first new original material in two decades and, sadly, will stand as his final studio recording. The album also saw contributions from producer and songwriter Boss Capone of The Upsessions, a band we previously had the opportunity to interview.
