Third World

The State Room Presents
Reggae Ambassadors Third World with Special Guest Kumar Fyah
THIRD WORLD
Kumar Fyah
SAT, 15 AUG 2026 at 08:00PM MDT
Ages: 21 & Over
Doors Open: 07:00PM
OnSale: Fri, 3 Jul 2026 at 10:00AM MDT
Announcement: Tue, 30 Jun 2026 at 10:00AM MDT

53 Years of Reggae Excellence
Third World
is one of the longest
-
lived Reggae bands of all time, and one of Jamaica
’
s most
consistently popular crossover acts among international audiences. Mixing in elements of R&B,
funk, pop, and rock and, later on
, dancehall and rap,
Third World
’
s
style has been described as
“
reggae
-
fusion.
”
Singer
Bunny Rugs
described the band
’
s sound:
“
Strictly a reggae band, no.
Definitely a reggae band, yes.
”
Guitarist
Stephen
“
Cat
”
Coore, OD
said of their music:
“
The
hybrid of
various types of music is a natural thing because, by growing up in Jamaica, we know
the direct roots of reggae and ska. At the same time, we live in a country where you get to hear
Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and all the R&B artists.
”
Bassist
Richard Daley
said,
“
We took roots
reggae music and put branches on top of it.
”
Third World
in 2026 brings together an exceptional collection of musicians: foundation member
and honorary bassist
Richard Daley
, who has been part of the band
’
s DNA since 1973;
Tony
“
Ruptio
n
”
Williams
, the heartbeat of Third World for the past 29 years, driving the band with
his masterful command of the drums
& djembe
; keyboardists and vocalists
Norris
“
Noriega
”
Webb
and
Maurice Gregory
, adding rich layers of harmony; the commanding lead voc
als of
AJ
Brown
; the groove
-
anchoring bass of
Richie Barr
; and guitarist
Richard
“
Wiggz
”
Walters
,
honoring the legacy of the legendary
Stephen
“
Cat
”
Coore
. Together they bring decades of
combined excellence to every performance.
Together, this extraordinar
y ensemble carries forward a tradition of musical excellence that has
earned Third World 9
Grammy
nominations, a 1986
United Nations Peace Medal
, the Keys to
multiple American cities, and on Jamaican Independence Day 2025, the
Jamaican Music Icon
Award
—
p
resented by Prime Minister Andrew Holness before more than 35,000 people at the
Grand Gala.
Rolling Stone
named founding guitarist Stephen
“
Cat
”
Coore #92 on their list of the
200 Greatest Guitarists of all time.
Third World
are also proud
“
Goodwill Ambass
adors
”
for the
Issa Trust Foundation
,
supporting pediatric care in rural Jamaica, and
“
Oceans Ambassadors
”
for the
Alligator Head
Foundation
’
s Clean Ocean initiatives in Portland, Jamaica.
A Legacy Five Decades in the Making
Third World
was founded in King
ston in 1973 by guitarist/cellist
Stephen
“
Cat
”
Coore
,
keyboardist
Michael
“
Ibo
”
Cooper
, and bassist
Richard Daley
, growing out of Jamaica
’
s
vibrant club and hotel scene as one of the few fully self
-
contained bands on the island.
Percussionist
Irvin
“
Carrot
”
Jarrett
joined in 1974, and in 1975 the band made a bold leap
—
traveling to England with no confirmed bookings
—
and landed a deal with
Chris Blackwell
’
s
Island Records, going out as the opening act for
Bob Marley & the Wailers
’
1975
World Tour.
Their self
-
titled debut followed in 1976. Then came
96° in the Shade
(1977), introducing lead
singer
William
“
Bunny Rugs
”
Clarke
and
William Stewart
on
drums,
becoming
a massive
critical hit in the UK and Europe. The commercial breakthrough arrived with
Jo
urney to Addis
BIO THIRD WORLD 53 years of musical excellence .docx
(1978) and a funky reggae cover of the
O
’
Jays
’ “
Now That We
’
ve Found Love,
”
which
cracked the American R&B Top Ten and the British pop Top Ten, making Third World
international stars.
“
Cool Meditation
”
followed into the UK Top
20
.
The hits c
ontinued:
“
Dancing on the Floor (Hooked on Love)
”
went UK Top 10 in 1981, and
that same year
Stevie Wonder
joined them onstage at
Reggae Sunsplash
, then wrote and
produced two tracks for
You
’
ve Got the Power (1982),
including the near
-
R&B Top 20 smash
“
Try
Jah Love.
”
Through the
’80
s, Grammy
-
nominated
Hold On to Love (1987)
, produced
with legendary songwriters Gamble and Huff, deepened their legacy.
Their 1989
Mercury debut
Serious Business
introduced multi
-
instrumentalist
Rupert
“
Gypsy
”
Bent III
to the
line up and
produced
“
Forbidden Love
”
—
one of the first commercially successful fusions of reggae and
rap
—
reaching the R&B Top 20.
Further
Grammy
nominations followed with
Generation Coming (1999), Ain
’
t Givin
’
Up
(2003),
Black, Gold & Green (2005), Pat
riots (2011)
and the Damian
“
Jr. Gong
”
Marley
-
produced
More Work to Be Done (2019)
,
featuring
Tessanne Chin, Chronixx, Tarrus Riley,
Busy Signal
and
Damian Marley
himself.
After 53 years, through every evolution and every era, Third World remains exactly
what it
has always been: one of Jamaica
’
s greatest gifts to the world.