Squidly Cole talks life and legacy of his father, Stranger Cole

Reggae singer Stranger “Strangejah” Cole passed away on June 11, 2026, at the age of 83. A reggae music pioneer, he made a name for himself globally, recording powerful anthems like “Rough & Tough,” “When You Call My Name,” and his 1968 hit “Bangarang,” often hailed as one of the first reggae songs ever released.

In a recent interview, his son — Grammy Award-winning singer, producer, drummer, and “The Singing Drummer,” Wilburn Anthony “Squidly” Cole — spoke openly about the man he loved, the legacy he inherited, and how he plans to build on his father’s name.

When asked what comes to mind now that his father has transitioned, Squidly did not reach for accolades. He reached for love and the close bond they shared.

“The first thing I think of is how much he loved me,” Squidly told Caribbean National Weekly.

“He always told me this — and I would always play it down… I’d say, ‘Dad, I wouldn’t be here if not for you.’”

The bond between father and son ran so deep that it developed its own language. As Squidly explains, “He called me Daddy — like I call all my boys, my kids, Daddy… meaning our love is stronger than any other.”

Squidly Cole, born and raised in Trenchtown, Kingston, is the nephew of Donald “Tabby Diamond” Shaw, the beloved lead voice of The Mighty Diamonds.

“I grew up in Jamaica and yes, I grasp what he had built,” Squidly says, “from producing, collaborating — working with people like Patsy Todd, Gladstone Anderson, Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe, Slim Smith, Errol Dunkley, and Alton Ellis.”

“My uncle Tabby, R.I.P., of The Mighty Diamonds — my dad produced their first song, ‘Oh No Baby,’ at Channel One Studio.”

Squidly has built his own decorated career in music, serving as the musical backbone for the Marley family for more than 20 years, playing drums in Ziggy Marley’s band. He has also toured and recorded with Stephen, Damian “Jr. Gong,” Julian, and Ky-Mani Marley, and co-produced Grammy-winning albums Conscious Party and One Bright Day for Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.

Speaking about some of the knowledge Stranger Cole passed down from his Trenchtown years, Squidly keeps those private lessons close.

“What he taught me I won’t share with the world,” he says quietly. “Only with the Coles.” Some things belong to family alone.

The Singing Drummer recently produced a solo project titled Lucky, an album he wrote and produced entirely himself. It is a project his father knew about before his passing.

“He is so proud of my producing abilities,” Squidly said.

Squidly shared that he will release the album after his father’s funeral. It is his gift to the world, timed to carry his father’s pride and legacy forward.

Asked about his father’s legacy, he said Stranger Cole expressed what it should look like in physical form, and he intends to bring that vision to life.

“Foundation — what he wanted,” Squidly says. “A museum and Son Marcus Studio.” It is a mission Squidly feels in his bones. “Honoring the legacy is in my DNA — from Duke Reid to Studio One, Channel One, Gladdy to Tabby.” The goal is nothing less than preserving Jamaica’s musical soul for generations to come.

Stranger Cole’s work on earth may now be complete, but through his son — still drumming, still singing, still building — he will not be silenced.

Squidly reiterated: “More life. More light.”