Cocoa Tea: A Celebration of His Legacy

by Howard Campbell

SOUTH FLORIDA – The legacy of roots singer Cocoa Tea, who died on March 11, will be acknowledged during a candlelight celebration at Okalee Village (2552 North State Road 7 in Hollywood) on March 29.

To honor his 53-year career, the event includes several sound systems. These systems helped launch the Rastafarian artist in Jamaica in the late 1970s.

Bodyguard, one of the sound systems scheduled to play at Okalee Village, is from Clarendon parish where Cocoa Tea was born. That ‘sound’ became a force in the 1990s when the singer was riding high with songs like Holy Mount Zion and Who She Love.

A longtime South Florida resident, Cocoa Tea succumbed to a cancer-related illness at a Broward County hospital. He was 69 years-old.

Among the confirmed sound systems for the Hollywood event are King Trendsetta, LP International, Turbosonic, and Braxton Movements.

Cocoa Tea got into music full time after a failed attempt at becoming a jockey. He first became well-known with “Rocking Dolly” for the Volcano label. This label was owned by Henry “Junjo” Lawes, a top producer in Jamaica in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Cocoa Tea was a consistent hitmaker with songs like Kingston Hot, Lost My Sonia, Young Lover, Lonesome Side and Pirate’s Anthem. He had a short contract with Motown Records, which launched his album, Holy Mount Zion, in 1997.

In 2008, Cocoa Tea released the song “Barack Obama.” This was a tribute to the Illinois senator. He was elected as the first black president of the United States in November that year.