Stranger Cole

Wilburn Theodore Cole was born in Kingston, Jamaica. His son Squidly Cole said his father's passport gives his birth date as 26 June 1940, and the Jamaica Gleaner reported the same date; other sources, including Wikipedia and several obituaries, give 1942 (26 June or July). He was raised in Trench Town, one of Kingston's most musical communities in the years when ska was emerging. His family called him "Stranger" because they said he did not look like anyone else in the family, and the name stayed with him for life. His older brother Leroy Cole, known as "Cuttings", was the leading disc jockey for producer Duke Reid. In the 1980s and later he also used the name StrangeJah Cole, and he said of Rastafari that he was not converted but "born a Rasta".

Cole was a graduate of the Alpha Boys' School in Kingston (now the Alpha Institute), the famous training ground for Jamaican musicians. There he learned to play tenor saxophone and, according to his family, developed an enduring love of jazz and a foundational music education. His first performance came at a school end-of-year party, where friends secretly put his name on the programme. He sang Jackie Edwards' "Tell Me Darling", won an encore, and was rewarded with two ice creams.

Cole first succeeded as a songwriter when Duke Reid gave his song "In and Out the Window" to Eric "Monty" Morris, who took it to number one. In 1962 he made his own recording debut for Reid with "Rough and Tough" and "When You Call My Name", a duet with Patsy Todd, and both became number one hits in Jamaica's independence year. Through the 1960s he recorded prolifically, especially in duets: with Patsy Todd as Stranger and Patsy, with Ken Boothe ("Uno Dos Tres", "Artibella", "World's Fair"), with Gladstone Anderson ("Just Like a River", "Love Me Today"), with Hortense Ellis and with Delroy Wilson on their WC label. He worked with producers including Clement Dodd, Prince Buster, Bunny Lee, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Sonia Pottinger. In 1968 he recorded "Bangarang" at Duke Reid's studio with saxophonist Lester Sterling and keyboard player Lloyd Charmers, a record widely regarded as one of the earliest reggae songs.

In 1971 he moved to the United Kingdom, and in 1973 he settled in Toronto, where he worked as a machinist at the Tonka Toy factory. In 1978 he started Roots Records in Kensington Market, one of the area's first Caribbean-owned businesses. His debut album "Forward" in the Land of Sunshine came out in 1976, followed by albums such as Capture Land (1978, with Chalawa), The Patriot (1982) and No More Fussing and Fighting (1986). After a long gap he returned with Morning Train (2006) with Jah Shaka, appeared in the 2009 film Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae, and toured Europe with the German band The Steadytones. His final album was Storybook Revisited (2019). He performed at Reggae Sunsplash, at the Titans of Reggae showcase in Toronto in 2019, and in Australia in late 2025.

Cole lived in Kingston, then the United Kingdom from 1971, Toronto from 1973 and later the United States, before returning to Jamaica. He married a relative of Jamaica's education minister Dana Morris Dixon, who said her aunt was married to him; his wife's name has not been widely reported. He had a large family. Toronto City Council listed his children as Wilburn, Philippa, Christopher, Sophia, Philip and Marcus, noting that he was predeceased by his son Wilbert; the Gleaner also named a daughter, Princess, and the Jamaica Observer said he was survived by seven children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His son Wilburn "Squidly" Cole Jr. is a renowned drummer who has toured with Jimmy Cliff, Ziggy Marley and Stephen Marley, and his youngest son Marcus (KxritoXisen) produced music for him. Squidly described him as "the humblest man dem know".

Cole identified with Rastafari, telling an interviewer in 2013 that he was not converted but born a Rasta, and that Rasta "is Jamaica". He credited persistence and faith for his long career, saying that if you believe in yourself and keep trying, it could work. He rejected the idea that he sang duets out of shyness, explaining that he simply loved harmony. His signature blessing was "more life", and he urged everyone to celebrate life because "life is all we have".

Cole is remembered as a bridge between ska, rocksteady and reggae and as the voice of "Bangarang", often called the first reggae record. In Canada he is honoured as a pioneer of the Toronto reggae scene whose Kensington Market record shop introduced many young Canadians to Jamaican music; he appears on the city's Reggae Lane mural, and Toronto City Council passed an expression of condolence after his death. Culture minister Olivia Grange called him a cultural ambassador whose music carried the spirit and resilience of the Jamaican people to international audiences. His family has announced plans for a Stranger Cole Museum.

Certificate of Merit from the Government of Jamaica for his pioneering role in the music industry. Depicted on Toronto's Reggae Lane mural (2015). Order of Distinction in the rank of Officer (OD), awarded posthumously in the 2026 National Honours, announced on 6 August 2026 for his outstanding contribution to the development of Jamaican music, with presentation scheduled for the National Heroes Day ceremony at King's House on 19 October 2026.

Cole is featured in the 2009 documentary Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae by Swiss director Stascha Bader, which reunited stars of the rocksteady era to record a new album. The 2018 documentary Ruff and Tuff: Stranger Cole's Toronto Roots, by Chris Flanagan and Graeme Mathieson, premiered at the Hot Docs festival and recalls his Toronto years. Compilations of his work include Bangarang: The Best of Stranger Cole (Trojan, 2003). In July 2026 Trojan Records named him its Artist of the Week.

Stranger Cole died on 11 June 2026 at the University Hospital of the West Indies in Kingston. He had been suffering back pain and had been admitted about two weeks earlier; his family did not make the cause of death public. His age was first reported as 83, but his son said his passport shows he was born on 26 June 1940, making him 85. A thanksgiving service was held on 29 July 2026 at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre (Louise Bennett Garden Theatre) on Hope Road in St Andrew, organised with Perry's Funeral Home and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, with performances by Ken Boothe, The Abyssinians, Warrior King, Robbie Lyn and Chronixx. The Gleaner reported that interment would be at Dovecot Memorial Park in St Catherine.