Stranger Cole
Stranger Cole was born Wilburn Theodore Cole in 1945 in Kingston, Jamaica, receiving the nickname "Stranger" because he resembled no one else in his family. Cole began his recording career with producer Duke Reid, scoring a hit with his 1962 debut, "Rough & Tough," a full-tilt ska number with a wild harmonica solo. His Louis Jordan revival song, "Run Joe," was a hit in 1965, and featured members of the Techniques on harmony vocals. Stranger frequently used duet partners, most notably Patsy Todd and Ken Boothe, and later in his career, Gladstone Anderson (their version of "Just Like a River" is one of Cole's finest songs), stemming from an apparent shyness in the studio, but Cole developed into a soulful vocalist, and his songs radiate a kid of joyful personality that is rare in most reggae. Cole left Reid as the ska era waned, becoming sort of a maverick, cutting sides with several Jamaican producers, including Sonia Pottinger, Lee "Scratch" Perry (including the wonderful single, "Run Up Your Mouth"), and Bunny "Striker" Lee, before relocating to England in 1971, where he toured extensively. Cole moved to Toronto, Canada, in 1973, where he released three albums on his own label, The First Ten Years of Stranger Cole (1978), Captive Land (1980), and The Patriot (1982). In 2003, Trojan Records released Bangarang: The Best of Stranger Cole 1962-1972, a long overdue retrospective of this fine Jamaican singer's career.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
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Discography
11 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Storybook Revisited
Reggae - Released by Burning Sounds on 25 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Bangarang / Forest Gate Rock
Stranger Cole, Lester Sterling, Lloyd Charmers
Reggae - Released by Gorgon Music - VPAL Music on 7 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You Took My Love
Stranger Cole, Patsy Millicent Todd, The Webber Sisters
Reggae - Released by Gay Feet - Dub Store Records on 10 Mar 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bangarang / Forest Gate Rock
Lester Sterling, Lloyd Harmer, Stranger Cole
Reggae - Released by Lee's Records on 7 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rude Boy
Stranger Cole, The Steadytones
Ska & Rocksteady - Released by The Steadytones on 8 Apr 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Reggae Time / Last Flight to Reggae City
Stranger Cole, Tommy McCook, Donald Lee
Reggae - Released by Gorgon Music - VPAL Music on 15 Aug 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Word Is Wind / Cry Another Cry
Stranger Cole, Patsy, Dobby Dobson
Ska & Rocksteady - Released by Dub Store Records on 27 Apr 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Koffee
Stranger Cole, The Steadytones
Reggae - Released by The Steadytones on 3 Jun 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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