Third World brings reggae legacy to Mother’s Day show in Kingston

Third World’s place on the Mother’s Day bill at AC Hotel Kingston carried more than nostalgia. With two seated shows, a matinee from 1 pm to 4 pm and an evening set from 7 pm to 10 pm, To Mom With Love turned into a live reminder that reggae still lives inside family occasions, especially the ones built around mothers, memory and song.

The band’s presence mattered because Third World is not just another veteran name. Formed in 1973, the group broke through with a self-titled debut album in 1976, the same landmark year that produced major work from Bob Marley and the Wailers, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh. That debut placed Third World among the defining voices of the era, and the band’s fusion of reggae, soul, funk and disco gave it a sound that traveled well beyond Kingston. By the time Now That We Found Love arrived in 1978, Third World had already become one of the genre’s most recognizable international acts.

That history gave the Mother’s Day show a deeper emotional charge. The band’s story had been marked by loss as well as endurance, most recently with the death of co-founder Stephen “Cat” Coore on January 18, 2026, at 69. Coore, a guitarist, cellist, composer and long-time musical director, had been central to the group for more than 50 years. Earlier, another founding member, Michael “Ibo” Cooper, died in 2023 at 71. Those absences made a live appearance by Third World feel like more than a booking on the calendar. It felt like a continuation.

The lineup around them underscored that same intergenerational spirit. Marcia Griffiths brought her own towering legacy to the bill, backed by honors that include Jamaica’s Order of Distinction in 1994 and the Commander Class in 2014. American R&B singer Glenn Jones, Robert Minott, Nesta and Kumar were also listed for the event, giving the show a blend of reggae, soul and crossover appeal. Minott has described Third World as a special group whose appeal crosses audiences, and he had previously recorded a song with Bunny Rugs, the band’s longtime former lead singer.

For a Mother’s Day tribute in Kingston, that mix made sense. Third World stood onstage not as a museum piece, but as living heritage, a band whose 1976 breakthrough still helps define how reggae is celebrated when families gather and the music has to mean something more than entertainment.