Whatever Happened To Chilling with Still Cool
This is the final in an eight-part series
In the 1990s, Freddie McGregor rode the charts with the song To Be Poor is a Crime. Unknown to many, it was originally done in 1981 by the group Still Cool.
Formed in the mid 1970s, the quintet were members of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. They had solid songs such as Crab Inna Barrel and What A Shame before hitting in 1979 with To Be Poor Is A Crime.
The group— which included Joseph Grant, Collin Campbell (aka Louis George), John Watson, Stephen Hylton and Frankie Diamond — broke up in 1988.
Still Cool are presently recording new songs for an album expected to be released late this year.
“We have already laid two tracks for it entitled Should I Go or Should I Stay and Beat Me No More,” said Frankie Diamond, of the group’s new members.”
The songs are produced by Carl Fletcher, who also produced their early recordings including To Be Poor Is A Crime.
Campbell says the original Still Cool evolved from a steel band known as the Advocates which was led by keyboardist Paul ‘Pablove Black’ Dixon, their musical mentor.
When Dixon started touring with Jimmy Cliff, Campbell says the Advocates “parked for a while” and Still Cool was formed.
Written in 1978 by Grant, To Be Poor Is A Crime featured Dixon, bassist Earl ‘Bagga’ Walker and guitarist Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith. It was a minor hit in Britain where it made the ethnic Black Echoes chart. An album of the same name was released in 1979 in Nigeria as well as other singles, but none duplicated the success of To Be Poor Is A Crime.
Grant lives in Germany while Hylton resides in New York City.
