Stranger Cole, ska and rocksteady pioneer, has died

Stranger Cole, a pioneer ska/rocksteady singer known for songs like Bangarang and Just Like A River, died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on Thursday. He was 83 years-old.

His son, drummer Wilburn “Squiddly” Cole, confirmed his death in an interview with Observer Online. He said his father was admitted to hospital two weeks ago after ailing for some time, but did not disclose a cause of death.

Last December, Stranger Cole did six shows in Australia, where he had a loyal following through his songs from the 1960s. He was also popular in Europe.

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Born in Portland, Cole moved to Kingston as a child. He lived in Trench Town, 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 Chris Flanagan and Graeme Mathieson.

Wilburn “Stranger” Cole is survived by seven children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

– Howard Campbell