Chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association, Ibo Cooper, speaking at the official launch of Reggae Month 2014.-File
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Ibo Cooper, chairman for the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA), received his first mention in The Gleaner the very first day he was welcomed to the world by his mother. According to Cooper, he was featured as a baby in The Gleaner's birth column.
"I was in The Gleaner on January 14, 1952. They used to have a birth column and I have that clipping even today," he said.
Cooper also recalled being mentioned in The Gleaner for a second time in 1962 when he received a government scholarship to attend Jamaica College. "Dem time deh a nuh baby accomplishment dat enuh," the JARIA chairman recalled.
As a professional musician, Cooper made his debut with the Inner Circle reggae band in the 1970s, and received his first review as an entertainer that same year. He says the feature was an indication that he had arrived at a level he only saw from a reader's perspective. "It's a feeling that you cherished because before that, I would see people like Bob Marley in the paper. So seeing yourself made you feel very high," Cooper said.
Independence show
The Gleaner was also present at Third World's first official performance which was at an Independence Day celebration on August 6, 1973. "It was a great feeling, because it was Third World's first appearance, and when The Gleaner reviewed us, the public began to notice our work," the former Third World band member said.
Cooper further affirmed The Gleaner's place in the entertainment industry and Jamaican culture, saying that the paper is the standard for all other papers.
"The Gleaner has played a significant role in drawing attention to entertainers and their craft. Gleaner is seen as the ultimate authority and the opinions of the journalists was the benchmark of explaining how you are doing musically. The Gleaner is so edged in the minds of Jamaican culture, that even when they are sending you to buy another tabloid, they say 'gwaan guh buy a Gleaner'," Cooper said.
curtis.campbell@gleanerjm.com