Inner Circle, Third World Among Guests For Tribute Concert To Late Ibo Cooper

Members of the Grammy-winning Reggae bands, Inner Circle and Third World are among the guests scheduled to appear at a special Reggae Wednesday’s tribute concert at Jamaica College’s Karl Hendrickson auditorium on October 25. The event, which is being hosted by the The Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA), will be a tribute event in celebration of the life and works of the late Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper.

Cooper passed away on October 12 after a brief illness.

Ewan Simpson, JaRIA’s Chairman, told DancehallMag that it was only fitting that the organization use the live series event to celebrate a man whose passion for music and culture was undeniable.

“We at JaRIA have spent the time just focusing on how we can celebrate Ibo because that is what we know he would have wanted. I believe that Ibo would want in celebration of him, for us to remember Jamaica’s music as our greatest asset. He would want us to give regard to Reggae as something that is on par with European classical music. On par in its complexity, on par in its quality and its place in the pantheon of music genres,” Simpson said.

“Ibo was somebody who, despite his humble status and operation, believed that we should always see ourselves as Kings in the world of music because of what we give to the world in philosophy, music and culture.”

“So this Reggae Wednesday is all about him and his love for music and culture and we have invited some of the people he impacted over the years,” he continued.

“We will be having Inner Circle which was one of the first bands that Ibo played with. They are based in Florida but they are all coming for the celebration. We will have the Third World family, Nadine Sutherland, Tony Rebel, Khumar Fyah, Miguel from One Third, Levy’s Heritage and Warrior King just to name a few. They all said yes immediately when we reached out. They all wanted to be a part of this special tribute to Ibo.”

The event is set to start at 6 pm and end at 10. Persons who wish to attend are being asked to register via JaRIA’s website. Those who wish to attend are being asked to wear black, gold and green.