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Cat Coore pays tribute to Leonie Forbes with patriotic Jamaican song

Published:Saturday | November 5, 2022 | 12:08 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
Cat Coore plays the National School Song on his cello, in honour of his late friend, broadcasting and theatre titan, Leonie Forbes.
Cat Coore plays the National School Song on his cello, in honour of his late friend, broadcasting and theatre titan, Leonie Forbes.

Founding member of Third World band, Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore, has memories of theatre icon and pioneering broadcaster Leonie Forbes visiting his house when he was a child because she was friends with his mother, musician and broadcaster Rita Coore.

Throughout the decades, his respect for Forbes multiplied, and last week Saturday, while on stage at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury in Long Island, New York, he paid an evocative, musical tribute to his friend. His song of choice for Forbes, who passed away on October 25, was the National Song for Schools I Pledge My Heart Forever, and his favoured instrument was the cello.

He told the audience, “My really good friend Leonie Forbes passed away. If there’s anyone here [who] knows who I am talking about, say ‘Irie!’ Okay, well, I want to do this one for her and for all of you because mi know plenty Jamaican deh yah!”

Coore pulled the heartstring of every Jamaican in the audience as they supplied the lyrics to accompany the deep, rich, vibrant sound of the cello.

“Usually, if it is Independence or anything happening where a lot of Jamaicans are present, I usually play that song,” Coore told The Gleaner. “Leonie had just passed, and she was an iconic Jamaican, so playing I Pledge My Heart Forever was appropriate. I kinda felt from when we were rehearsing that it would be special... I could feel the vibe. It was an honour to do that for Leonie.”

Expanding on the friendship and Forbes’ legacy, Coore shared, “I would have seen her passing through the house from I was about six or seven because Mummy was on the radio during 1960/61, and both she and Leonie were broadcasters. Leonie is responsible for so many firsts in broadcasting and theatre ... she and Miss Lou changed up the whole trajectory of Jamaican entertainment. She and people like Charles Hyatt were instrumental in setting up Jamaica’s theatre and film industry. Leonie is in every movie except The Harder They Come.”

Coore was one of the performers of the Evening of Elegance at NYCB Theater, headlined by internationally acclaimed singer Beres Hammond. He is now looking forward to performing for the Issa Trust Foundation’s For The Children charity gala at New York City’s Sony Hall on November 12

“We are ambassadors for the Issa Trust Foundation, and Third World is front and centre in helping to build the Mary Issa Health Centre in Richmond, St Ann. We are all the way strong with them on this,” Coore said passionately.

Clearly knowledgeable about the project, which will see the foundation start the construction of its own children and adolescent health centre in the Ocho Rios area, Coore noted that the facility will provide medical expertise in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology and mental health support. Vision screening will be offered along with free glasses, if needed.

“The project is admirable to the max. Right now, the focus is on Richmond, but we are hoping that, in the future, the net will be widened and more children will benefit. And another great thing is that it is not just for babies; older kids will also benefit. These children need mentoring, and they need love. So many things are happening in the society now... we hear about kids killing kids. Hello! Come on; we can do better than that,” Coore declared.

The Mary Issa Health Centre is named in honour of Issa family matriarch, Mary Issa, who was passionately committed to healthcare for children during her lifetime. On offer will be paediatric and adolescent services, in addition to speciality clinics, mental health support, vision, hearing tests, and primary care. The centre will also offer rotation programmes for doctors to partner with local Jamaican doctors.

Coore then made a pitch for persons to come out in their numbers and support the event on November 12.

“This is a very worthy cause. Third World will be there ... Leon & The Peoples, that group with Leon from Cool Runnings, will be there ... and it will be an evening to remember. Do it for the children of Jamaica,” Coore pleaded.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com