Jamaican ska and rocksteady pioneer Stranger Cole dies at 83

Jamaican ska and rocksteady pioneer Stranger Cole, whose career spanned more than six decades and helped shape the island’s early popular music movement, died Thursday at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston. He was 83.

His son, drummer Wilburn “Squiddly” Cole, confirmed the singer’s death in an interview with Observer Online. He said his father had been hospitalized for the past two weeks after being ill for some time but did not disclose a cause of death.

Born Wilburn Theodore Cole on June 26, 1942, the singer became one of the most recognizable voices of Jamaica’s ska and rocksteady eras. Nicknamed “Stranger” by family members because they believed he did not resemble anyone else in the family, Cole launched his recording career in 1962 and went on to become a fixture in Jamaican music.

Raised in Kingston after moving from Portland as a child, Cole grew up in Trench Town, a community that produced many of Jamaica’s most influential musicians during the formative years of ska. His breakthrough came after finding success as a songwriter with “In and Out the Window,” a hit recorded by Eric “Monty” Morris.

Cole quickly established himself as a recording artist under legendary producer Arthur “Duke” Reid, scoring early hits with “Rough and Tough” and “When You Call My Name,” a duet with Patsy Todd. He later recorded a string of popular songs including “Just Like a River,” with keyboardist Gladstone Anderson, and “Bangarang,” alongside saxophonist Lester Sterling of The Skatalites.

“Bangarang,” released in 1968, is widely regarded as one of the defining recordings of the transition from rocksteady to reggae. Some music historians credit the song as one of the earliest reggae recordings and a landmark in the genre’s development.

Throughout his career, Cole collaborated with some of Jamaican music’s most influential producers, including Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, Prince Buster, Bunny Lee, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Sonia Pottinger. Known for his many duets, he also recorded with artists such as Ken Boothe, Hortense Ellis and Patsy Todd.

Beyond his own recordings, Cole played an important role in nurturing younger talent. He helped launch the careers of several Jamaican artists, including Ken Boothe and the reggae group The Mighty Diamonds. He wrote and produced “Oh My Baby,” the group’s debut recording.

In 1971, Cole emigrated to the United Kingdom before relocating to Toronto, Canada, two years later. There he became part of the city’s growing reggae scene while working as a machinist and later opening what is believed to have been the first Caribbean record store in Toronto’s Kensington Market district.

His life and contributions to music in Canada were documented in the 2018 film Ruff and Tuff — Stranger Cole’s Toronto Roots. He also appeared in the 2009 documentary Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, which reunited many stars of the rocksteady era.

Cole continued performing well into his eighties. Last December, he completed a six-show tour of Australia, where he maintained a devoted fan base. He also enjoyed a strong following across Europe, reflecting the enduring international appeal of Jamaica’s early ska and rocksteady music.

He is survived by seven children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Among his children are musicians Wilburn “Squiddly” Cole and Marcus Cole, who both followed him into the music industry.

Cole’s death marks the passing of one of the last surviving pioneers of Jamaica’s original ska generation, a singer whose recordings helped lay the foundation for reggae’s global rise.