REVERED reggae band Third World will commemorate its 50th anniversary next year in a big way.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on Friday at the Couples Tower Isle resort in St Mary, one of Third World’s founding members, guitarist and cellist Stephen “Cat” Coore shared some of the plans to mark the band’s milestone.

“Next year is our 50th anniversary and there’s a lot of things that we would like to do. Hopefully a book, a 96 Degrees pepper sauce, a special tour. We had a very good year this year with the tour. So hopefully next year will be even better. We want to celebrate the 50th anniversary in Europe, Africa and America, so that’s the focus right now,” Coore disclosed.

He added, “There are plans to have at least two 50th anniversary concerts. One during the Independence celebrations and one in late December. We want to do those two major things, one concert in Kingston and the other in Montego Bay.”

Founded in 1973, some of the past members of Third World include Michael “Ibo” Cooper, Milton “Prilly” Hamilton, Willie Stewart, Herbie Harris, Robbie Lyn, Pablo Stewart, Leroy “Baarbe” Romans, Carl Barovier, Mikel Wallace, and Rupert “Gypsi” Bent III.

Percussionist Irvin “Carrott” Jarrett died in July of 2018 and lead vocalist William “Bunny Rugss” Clarke died in February 2014.

Aside from Coore, the other members of the band’s current line-up include Richard Daley, Tony “Ruption” Williams, Maurice Gregory, AJ Brown and Norris “Noreiga” Webb.

The band has been signed to major record labels including Columbia Records, CBS Records, and Mercury Records. They were signed to Island Records in the late 1970s.

Among their hits are The Same Old Song, the haunting ballad Always Around, Try Jah Love, Committed, Forbidden Love, 96 Degrees in the Shade, and Sense of Purpose.

On the Billboard charts, the band has scored eight titles on the R&B singles chart and two on the Hot 100. Their cover of the O’Jays original Now That We Found Love rose to number nine on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Hot 100 in 1978. The song peaked at number ten in the United Kingdom, where the group has seven other charted hits.

According to Coore, the band is working on a follow-up album to its 2019 Grammy-nominated set More Work to Be Done.

“We are working on the follow up right now. Damian Marley is our producer and we’ll be working with him for sure and Stephen [Marley] too. I’m just hoping that everything works out well,” said Coore.

More Work to Be Done, an 11-track set released via Ghetto Youths International, featured collaborations with Busy Signal, Tessanne Chin, Pressure Busspipe, Chronixx, Damian Marley and Tarrus Riley. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, the group’s fifth charting title on that tally.

Asked whether the forthcoming album will include any collaborations, Coore said: “I suspect that we will have some guests like what we had before. Personally speaking, I’d like to do something with Beres again. I’d like to do something with Kabaka Pyramid. I’m always open to working with Tessanne. I think she’s absolutely fabulous. But who knows. But that’s the approach.”