Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
By JOHN BURNETT
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Third World might best be described by the title of their hit song — “Reggae Ambassador.”
Formed in 1973 in Jamaica, the band has been an international phenomenon for more than three decades, with 10 Grammy nominations and hits such as “Sense of Purpose,” “Try Jah Love” and “96 Degrees in the Shade.”
Third World will take the Palace Theater stage Thursday night at 8 p.m. as part of a four-island mini-tour. Opening the show will be Paula Fuga and Mike Love. Admission is $43 advance, $45 door. Advance tickets are available at the Palace box office and at CD Wizard. Credit card sales are available at 934-7010 and online at hightideconcerts.net.
“To all my friends and family in Hawaii, we’ll be coming with a brand new show,” the band’s longtime lead vocalist, William “Bunny Rugs” Clarke, said from his Orlando, Fla., home. “We always look forward to Hawaii; it’s always fun.”
The show will feature the band’s newest album, “Patriots,” which features collaborations with some of reggae’s brightest luminaries, including Toots Hibbert, Sly & Robbie, Inner Circle, Marcia Griffiths and Capleton. The CD features a remake of “96 Degrees in the Shade” with Stephen and Damian Marley, two of Bob Marley’s sons.
“A lot of people know the song ’96 Degrees in the Shade,'” Clarke said. “When they hear that song, they think it’s about the climate or the temperature in Jamaica. That song was written about Paul Bogle, one of our national heroes who was hanged by the British in the year 1865. … On that particular day, it was actually 96 degrees in the shade.”
Another reggae superstar appearing on “Patriots” is Gregory Isaacs, who died in October 2010 of lung cancer. Clarke called his passing “a devastating blow to the reggae family.”
“It’s one of the last, if not the last recording of Gregory Isaacs,” Clarke said. “He had a great sense of humor. We all miss him.”
The last time Third World appeared in Hilo was in late 2005, an outdoor show in the parking lot at the Waiakea Waterfront outside the former Uncle Mikey’s nightclub. The show was about a week after Hurricane Katrina and the band’s drummer, Tony “Ruption” Williams — not the late jazz drummer of the same name — was stranded in Florida. Big Island musician Jamin “Chief Ragga” Wong sat in on one rehearsal and filled in admirably.
“He did great. He’s a very talented guy and a Third World fan, so he knew all our songs,” Clarke said.
Clarke said that the reason reggae rivals and perhaps even eclipses Hawaiian music in popularity here is because it “fits Hawaii.”
“The sunlight, the ocean, the sand, the coconuts, the flowers — it’s exquisite, just like Hawaii.”
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.