Third World to Honour Cat Coore With Tribute at Wickie Wackie

Third World will honour the late Irvin “Cat” Coore with a tribute during Wickie Wackie Music Festival’s Foundation Night on Saturday, February 14. The festival opened today on Jamaica’s north coast and organizers have scheduled a program that foregrounds the artists and scenes that built reggae’s roots.

The Feb. 14 set, billed as “a homecoming, a farewell, and a tribute all rolled into one,” is dedicated to Coore, who sources say died late last month. Coore is identified in press materials as Irvin “Cat” Coore, although some tributes have used the name Stephen “Cat” Coore. Organizers, the band, and family statements are expected to confirm the musician’s full legal and preferred name ahead of the performance.

Coore was a founding guitarist of Third World and a long-time advocate for live-reggae venues and cultural continuity. Third World has earned international recognition over decades, including nine Grammy nominations, while Coore’s individual honours listed in festival materials include the Order of Distinction in 2005, a JaRia Instrumentalist of the Year award, keys to multiple cities, and lifetime achievement awards from Jamaica Jazz and Blues, Reggae Sumfest, Island Records, and IRAWMA.

Culture Minister Olivia “Babsy” Grange described him as “a unique talent and a true Reggae Ambassador” whose music helped carry Jamaica’s sound globally. Opposition Leader Mark Golding paid his respects in brief public remarks, saying, “The sudden passing of Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore has come as a terrible shock.” Locally, the Caribbean Community of Retired Persons noted that it had recently honoured Coore at its annual awards.

Kumar Bent, known on stage as Kumar Fyah and the current singer performing with the remaining members of Third World, framed the tribute within Wickie Wackie’s family-oriented ethos. “We are a family-oriented event, providing clean fun, great music around good people,” he said. “This Wickie Wackie is definitely special,” Kumar added during a question-and-answer, “Cat Coore has been a light, a teacher, and friend to me over the years. He was instrumental in keeping Wickie Wackie Music Festival alive, so with his passing myself alongside the Third World band members will be paying our utmost respect to the man who changed our lives.”

Wickie Wackie’s Foundation Night brings together veterans who shaped the island’s sound; the advertised line-up includes JC Lodge, Etana, Turbulence, The Abyssinians, and other stalwarts. Festival social posts promoted “an amazing lineup of legends and friends including a special tribute to Cat Coore by @thirdworldband,” and organizers expect campers, families, and reggae lovers from across Jamaica and beyond to attend.

For festival-goers, the tribute will be a chance to hear the music Coore helped create and to join a communal send-off that reflects the singer-musician friendships and mentorships he cultivated. Expect a mix of classic Third World material and curated moments framed by Foundation Night’s theme of honoring reggae’s architects; further setlist details are to be confirmed by the band and festival organizers leading into the Feb. 14 performance.