3 months ago
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When the Jamaican reggae fusion band Third World needed a loan of $10,000 to better push its operations in 1973, lead singer Milton ‘Prilly’ Hamilton was one of two persons confident enough to create history in Jamaica by approaching a local bank for financial assistance to fund their music venture.
The other loan applicant, Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, was among the list of mourners - who included Hamilton’s children, Kimani, Aisha, Taheir, Meikah, and Jada - who offered tributes on Sunday at the thanksgiving service held at the Kencot Seventh-day Adventist Church in St Andrew.
In a pre-recorded video tribute, Coore, with a heavy heart and positive vibe, despite nursing a dislocated shoulder, said that when everyone else doubted, they confidently walked into Worker’s Bank and secured the loan. It is this memory and support that Coore said that he would forever cherish.
“My father [David Coore] was in government at the time, and his thoughts were ... ‘Good luck with that one’ because he said he had never heard of anybody going to a bank in Jamaica and asking for a loan to start a band. And guess what! They bought the idea, and this is where it has reached us now ... 32 years of Third World, and Prilly was there to sail the ship,” recalled Coore, who toured the world with Hamilton and shares the same April 6 birth date.
For Taheir Hamilton, his father was like “a comet” to him, especially given the fact that they did not live in the same country in recent years.
“But when he comes around, if we had to put an analogy, he was like a comet. You don’t see a comet when it’s far away, but when it comes back around in your orbit, it shines bright in the sky, and that was my dad to me,” he said.
Colin Leslie, another founding member of Third World, commended Hamilton for his bookkeeping efforts “on the road”.
“It was Prilly who was very instrumental in negotiating the loan, and of course in 1973, ten thousand Jamaican dollars was like ten thousand US dollars. They travelled to Washington, DC, and Prilly, right beside Cat, bought all the instruments, and that might have been the first time that a bank [in Jamaica] financed a band.. So in a way, they were making history,” Leslie said.
William ‘Willie’ Stewart, former drummer-percussionist of Third World, hailed Hamilton, who he met one week before Christmas in 1975, for his significant contributions to the establishment of Third World and for paving a way for his career’s development.
“Our first gig was in Boscobel, St Mary, on December 31, 1975. As a new member of the band, I found Prilly to be very helpful and patient. At rehearsals, he would point out arrangements and sing the parts over until I got it. Always smiling, happy to help, and when we did a great gig, he congratulated everyone, and if we fell short of perfection, he would point out what needed to be done for improvement,” Stewart said.
He also fondly recalled their first United States tour in 1976, where they promoted Third World’s very first album. The tour lasted seven months in California and ended in New York City, where the two became friends and have been for almost five decades.
“During this tour, I was able to observe Prilly in his dual role as lead singer and bookkeeper. He executed both roles flawlessly. I remembered getting my first pay cheque, which had a $35 deduction. When I inquired about [it], Prilly advised me it was for drumstick replacement. As of that moment, I started to play a little lighter on the drums to mek sure my pay cheque was a little heavier,” he said.
It was after that tour that Hamilton left Third World to pursue a solo musical career and also a career as an executive in the printing industry. Dr Deborah Hickling Gordon, now opposition spokesman on culture, met him while she worked for the advertising agency Paisley Kelly. Just like Hamilton, she, too, dropped out of school with big dreams of having a career in the creative industry. Another thing they had in common was their love for politics and the People’s National Party.
“If we are to be honest, the real reason I’m standing here, it’s not because of those chance happenings with Milton ‘Prilly’ Hamilton. It is because he was a keen and active member, supporter, and advocate of the People’s National Party. Prilly didn’t hide. He didn’t sit on the fence, which is something that is unusual these days. He was a warrior, and he spoke freely about his choice with anyone who would listen,” said Hickling Gordon, who represented Opposition Leader Mark Golding at the service.
She said although his parents did not want him to pursue a career in music, but rather to attend university, they would be pleased with his accomplishments, especially given that he was able to earn a doctorate.
Hamilton passed away in Florida on February 17. He was 75.
English (US) ·