Sweetwater Music Hall presents Third World with DJ Sep

One of the longest-running reggae acts of all time, Third World remained one of Jamaica’s most consistently popular crossover acts among international audiences for over 40 years. Regularly appearing on American and U.K. charts throughout the ’80s, the band embraced a fusion sound that married elements of pop and soul to a reggae core on albums like 1989’s Serious Business.

Third World was formed in 1973 by keyboardist Michael “Ibo” Cooper and guitarist/cellist Steven “Cat” Coore. Both had received formal training at music schools in Jamaica, and both had played around the Kingston reggae scene before joining the original lineup of Inner Circle around 1968. When they left to form their own band in 1973, they took Inner Circle bassist Richard Daley with them, and also recruited drummer Carl Barovier, percussionist Irvin “Carrot” Jarrett, and lead singer Milton “Prilly” Hamilton.