from the 7” single, Trojan Records, 1966One of the oldest surviving veterans of Jamaica’s thriving music scene, having now been performing and recording for nearly half a century, Wilburn ‘Stranger’ Cole was around before there was even such a word as “reggae”, cutting singles nonstop from 1962 forward as the musical landscape went from ska to rock steady to reggae. I discovered this delicious song, which was actually a b-side, on one of those Trojan 3-disc compilations of rare 45s from their colossal vaults, and it’s always stuck with me---something about that jug band-esque bassline and his minor key melodies just send my body a swaying; props for the percussive breaks, organ & piano too! Shit, I can listen to classic rock steady cuts and old reggae like this for days man…
