The music of Jimmy Cliff and Cat Coore will be the focus of Reggae Month in South Florida, which officially begins on February 7 with the Reggae Genealogy Outdoor Music Festival in the city of Plantation.

Ian Lewis, an organiser for the month-long festivities, has appealed to all mediums to play their songs throughout the period.

“We will be honouring Jimmy Cliff and Cat Coore, two legends of reggae music gone too soon. We will be asking all local radio stations to play their music in honour of the contribution they made,” he told Observer Online.

Lewis added that artistes performing on Reggae Month live events such as the Reggae Genealogy Outdoor Music Festival, and Rastafari Day on February 15, will perform songs Cliff and Coore made famous.

Lewis’ band, Inner Circle, had close ties to both artistes. Cliff, who rose to international fame through his role as Ivan in the 1972 movie, The Harder They Come, died last November at age 81.

Known for songs such as Many Rivers to Cross and Wonderful World, Beautiful People, Cliff was recording his last album at Circle House, Inner Circle’s studio in North Florida.

Coore, best known as guitarist for Third World, died on January 18 at age 69. An original member of Inner Circle — which Lewis formed with his brother Roger in Kingston in 1968 — he and keyboardist Ibo Cooper started Third World in 1973.

The band’s many hits included 96 Degrees In The Shade, Now That We Found Love and Try Jah Love.

Other major events for Reggae Month in South Florida include Rhythms By The River in Fort Lauderdale on February 22, and Praise On The Green Gospel Extravaganza which takes place five days later in Miramar.

Inner Circle, winners of the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album, are known globally for the anthems, Bad Boys and Sweat.

– Howard Campbell