Michael Cooper (musician)

{{Short description|Jamaican musician and educator (1952–2023)}}

{{For|the American musician named Michael Cooper|Con Funk Shun}}

{{Use Jamaican English|date=January 2015}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Michael Cooper

| honorific_suffix = OD

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

| birth_name =

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| alias = Ibo Cooper, Kingsley Michael Cooper

| birth_date = {{birth date|1952|01|14|df=y}}{{cite news |url=https://www.one876entertainment.com/ibo-cooper-is-dead/ |title=Michael 'Ibo' Cooper is dead at 71 |work=One876Entertainment |date=13 October 2023}}

| birth_place = Spaldings, Clarendon, Jamaica

| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|10|12|1952|01|14|df=y}}

| death_place = Saint Andrew Parish, Jamaica

| origin =

| genre = Reggae

| occupation = Musician, composer, educator

| instrument = Keyboards

| years_active = 1968–2023

| past_member_of = Third World, Inner Circle

| website =

}}

Michael "Ibo" Cooper OD (14 January 1952 – 12 October 2023) was a Jamaican reggae musician and musical educator. He was member of the pop-band Inner Circle and founding member of the reggae band Third World.{{Cite web |last=Davidson |first=Vernon |date=2023-10-13 |title=‘Ibo’ Cooper dies |url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2023/10/13/ibo-cooper-dies-20231018-1359-323921/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Jamaica Observer}} Third World was originally formed in 1973 by keyboardist Cooper and guitarist/cellist Steven "Cat" Coore. Both had received formal training at different music schools run by their aunt and mother respectively in Jamaica, and both had played around the Kingston reggae scene before joining the original lineup of Inner Circle around 1968, when they left to form their own band in 1973.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-17 |title=Third World co- founder Ibo Cooper dies at 71 |url=https://thecaribbeancamera.com/third-world-co-founder-ibo-cooper-dies-at-71/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=The Caribbean Camera}} They took Inner Circle's drummer Carl Barovier and lead singer Milton "Prilly" Hamilton. Colin Leslie was recruited from outside to be the bassist but was quickly replaced by Richard 'Richie' Daley. Barovier was replaced shortly after by Cornell Marshall. The group made its live debut that year at a stage show at the Carib Theatre during Jamaica's Independence Celebration.{{Cite web |last=Stephenson |first=Olivier |date=2023-10-18 |title="I Would Like To Be Remembered Positively" Michael Ibo Cooper, A Conversation Chronicling His Life, Music and Impact |url=https://jamaicans.com/i-would-like-to-be-remembered-positively-michael-ibo-cooper-a-conversation-chronicling-his-life-music-and-impact/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Jamaica Magazine}} They played around the Kingston club scene and made a name for themselves as one of the few fully self-contained bands around.{{cite news | url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/2011/06/19/children-preserving-their-dads-musical-legacies/ |title=Children preserving their dads' musical legacies |work=Jamaica Observer |date=19 June 2011 |access-date=27 October 2024 |author=Walters, Basil}} He also appeared with reggae artist Burning Spear.

In later years, he taught full-time as head of the Caribbean, Latin American and jazz department (Popular Music Studies) at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts in Kingston, Jamaica.{{cite journal | url=http://bombsite.com/issues/86/articles/2625 | title=Michael "Ibo" Cooper | author=Dawes, Kwame | journal=BOMB | year=2004 | volume=86 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720131416/http://bombsite.com/issues/86/articles/2625 |archive-date=20 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}

Cooper was appointed Officer of the Order of Distinction (OD) in 2005.{{cite web |title=Michael ‘Ibo' Cooper, founding member of Third World, has died |url=https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/entertainment/reggae-musician-michael-ibo-cooper-has-died/ |website=Caribbean National Weekly |access-date=17 October 2023 |date=12 October 2023}}

Cooper died from cancer on 12 October 2023, at the age of 71.{{cite news |title=Musician and educator Michael 'Ibo' Cooper has died |url=https://radiojamaicanewsonline.com/local/musician-and-educator-michael-ibo-cooper-has-died |access-date=14 October 2023 |publisher=Radio Jamaica News |date=12 October 2023}}{{cite web |title=Ibo Cooper a ‘venerable stalwart' in music says PJ Patterson |url=https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latest-news/ibo-cooper-a-venerable-stalwart-in-music-says-pj-patterson/ |website=Jamaica Observer |access-date=17 October 2023 |date=15 October 2023}}