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Cocoa Tea

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Cocoa Tea
Background information
Birth nameColvin George Scott
Born(1959-09-03)3 September 1959
Rocky Point, Clarendon, Jamaica
OriginHayes, Clarendon, Jamaica
Died11 March 2025(2025-03-11) (aged 65)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
GenresReggae, roots reggae
InstrumentVocals
LabelsVP Records, Greensleeves, Volcano, Cornerstone, Roaring Lion

Calvin George Scott (3 September 1959 – 11 March 2025),[1] better known as Cocoa Tea, was a Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter.[2][3]

Biography

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Born in the fishing village of Rocky Point, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica,[1] Cocoa Tea was one of the most popular singers in Jamaica from the 1980s onwards, achieving significant worldwide success in the reggae world.

He made his first venture into the music industry at only 14 years of age in 1974, when he released "Searching In The Hills" for Willie Francis' Little Willie label.[4] When the song failed to hit the young Calvin gave up on the music industry for a while, and spent time working as both a jockey and a fisherman over the next few years.[5] Unable to stay away for too long he gained experience singing live on various sound systems before eventually finding his way to Henry "Junjo" Lawes Volcano label in 1984, where he scored big hits with first "Rocking Dolly" and later "I Lost My Sonia", under the name Cocoa Tea.[5]

From there his career continued to progress, leading to overseas tours and working with many other Jamaican producers.[5] Some of his biggest hits of this period include 'Young Lover' and 'Children of the Ghetto' for the Jammys label, as well as 'Holding On' in collaboration with Home T and Shabba Ranks for Gussie Clark's Music Works. In 1990 he released the smash hit 'Rikers Island' on the Mr Doo imprint[1], inspired by John Holt's 1977 song "Up Park Camp", with re-worked lyrics referencing the Rikers Island prison in New York City as a warning to young Jamaican immigrants of the time. He also voiced a version in combination with Nardo Ranks titled "Me No Like Rikers Island", which featured on the 1991 Columbia/SME Records compilation Dancehall Reggaespañol.

His success continued into the 1990s, with songs such as 'Bust Outta Hell' again for Junjo, 'Tune In' for Jammys, as well as working with new producers such as Philip "Fatis" Burrell on 'Good Life' and 'She Loves me Now', and Bobby 'Digital' Dixon for 'Moving On', 'Heathen' and 'No Threat', to name a few. Many of these productions found their way onto albums released by international labels such as VP Records, Greensleeves and Ras Records. By this stage he had established himself as one of the top singers in the reggae world, and remained a favourite with fans ever since, performing at almost every Reggae Sunsplash.[5]

In 1997 he launched his own label, Roaring Lion Records,[6][7] which achieved a good deal of success, releasing songs by some of the top artists on the island including Buju Banton, Louie Culture, Capleton, Cutty Ranks, Sizzla and of course "Sweet Sweet" Cocoa Tea himself. He gained notoriety in March 2008 after releasing a song titled "Barack Obama" on the label in support of the US presidential candidate of the same name. Cocoa Tea's song "Jah Made Them That Way" from his 1984 album Rocking Dolly interpolates "Human Nature" by Michael Jackson and "Answer Mi Question" by Dillinger.[citation needed]

He initiated the annual New Year's Eve events Dancehall Jam Jam in 2003; which ran until 2009, with plans to resurrect it in 2015. [6]

He died on 11 March 2025 of a cardiac arrest.[8]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Weh Dem A Go Do...Can't Stop Cocoa Tea (1984), Volcano
  • I Lost My Sonia (1985), Volcano
  • Settle Down (1985), Corner Stone
  • Mr. Coco Tea (1985), Corner Stone
  • Sweet Sweet Coco Tea (1985), Blue Mountain
  • The Marshall (1985), Jammy's
  • Cocoa Tea (1986), Jimpy's
  • Come Again (1987), Jammy's
  • Rikers Island (1991), VP[9]
  • Rocking Dolly (1991), RAS
  • Authorized (1991), Greensleeves[10]
  • Kingston Hot (1992), RAS
  • I Am the Toughest (1992), VP [11]
  • Weh Dem A Go Do - Can't Stop Cocoa Tea (1992), VP [12]
  • One Up (1993), Greensleeves [13]
  • Good Life (1994), VP [14]
  • Sweet Love (1994), VP
  • Tune In (1994), Greensleeves [15]
  • Can't Live So (1994), Shanachie
  • Come Love Me (1995), VP [16]
  • Israel's King (1996), VP [17]
  • Holy Mount Zion (1997), Motown
  • One Way (1998), VP [18]
  • Unforgettable (2000), Roaring Lion
  • Feel the Power (2001), VP [19]
  • Tek Weh Yuh Gal (2004), Kings of Kings
  • Save Us Oh Jah (2006), VP [20]
  • Biological Warfare (2007), Minor7Flat5
  • Yes We Can (2009), Roaring Lion
  • In a Di Red (2012), VP
  • Sunset in Negril (2014), Roaring Lion

Split albums

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Compilation albums

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  • 20 Tracks of Cocoa Tea (1991), Sonic Sounds
  • RAS Portraits (1997), RAS.
  • In His Early Days (1998), Corner Stone
  • Best Of (1999), Socadisc
  • Reggae Legends Vol 3 (1999), Artists Only
  • Kings of Reggae (2002), Nocturne
  • Live in Jamaica (2002), Sankofa
  • Reggae Anthology: The Sweet Sound of Cocoa Tea (2008), 17 North Parade [24]
  • Reggae Legends (2009), 17 North Parade [25]
  • The Best of Cocoa Tea (2012), Jammy's
  • Music is Our Business (2019), VP [26]
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His song "We Do The Killing" was sampled in the Pendulum song "Set Me On Fire", which is included on their album Immersion.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin, ed. (2003). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 119. ISBN 1-85227-969-9.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. "Biography: Cocoa Tea". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
  3. ^ "Veteran reggae singer Cocoa Tea has died". Jamaica-gleaner.com. 11 March 2025. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  4. ^ "Calvin Scott - Searching in the Hills". discogs.com. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d "Cocoa Tea". Reggaeville. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (1 October 2014). "Cocoa Tea Looks to Sunset in Negril". Jamaica Observer. Jamaica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Roaring Lion Records". Discogs. Archived from the original on 11 March 2025.
  8. ^ Mills, Claude (11 March 2025). "Reggae Legend Cocoa Tea Dead At 65". Dancehallmag.com. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
  9. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Rikers Island". Allmusic.
  10. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Authorized". Allmusic.
  11. ^ "Cocoa Tea - I Am the Toughest". Allmusic.
  12. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Weh Dem A Go Do - Can't Stop Cocoa Tea". Discogs. 21 November 1992.
  13. ^ "Cocoa Tea - One Up". Allmusic.
  14. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Good Life". Allmusic.
  15. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Tune In". Discogs. 21 November 1994.
  16. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Come Love Me". Discogs. 21 November 1995.
  17. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Israel's King". Discogs. 21 November 1996.
  18. ^ "Cocoa Tea - One Way". Allmusic.
  19. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Feel the Power". Allmusic.
  20. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Save Us Oh Jah". Discogs. 21 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Another One for the Road". Discogs. 21 November 1991.
  22. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Holding On". Discogs. 8 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Another One For The Road (Greensleeves 30th Anniversary Edition)". Discogs. 21 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Cocoa Tea - The Sweet Sound Of Cocoa Tea". Discogs. 21 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Reggae Legends". Discogs. 21 November 2023.
  26. ^ "Cocoa Tea - Music Is Our Business". Allmusic.
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