R.I.P Cocoa Tea

Veteran reggae artiste Cocoa Tea, born Calvin Scott, renowned for reggae anthems including “Lost My Sonia,” “Tune In,” and “Rocking Dolly,” has died at age 65.

Cocoa Tea’s wife, Malvia Scott, confirmed to the Jamaica Gleaner that her husband died Tuesday morning, March 11, in Broward County, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. following a cardiac arrest.

Jamaican-born, New York-based entertainment publicist Anthony “ER Guru“ Turner, who had worked with the Cocoa Tea Team in 2015 in Groovin’ In The Park Concert, considered North America’s premier Reggae and R&B Festival at Roy Wilkins Park in Queens, said, “Cocoa was the consummate performer who could electrify fans whenever he performed on stage.

“He did many great deeds in his lifetime as a singer, songwriter, and performer, including giving Jamaican artiste Koffee a platform at Rebel Salute, which helped to buss her internationally,“ he said. “He will be sadly missed.”

Turner said Cocoa Tea, born in Rocky Point in Clarendon, Jamaica, first garnered exposure in Jamaica by singing in church and school choirs.

He became a devoted Rastafarian in 1985, said Turner, adding that Cocoa Tea’s faith “guided and influenced songs“ such as “Settle Down,” “Don’t Be Shy,” “Too Much Fussing and Fighting,” and “I’ve Gotta Love You.“

Turner said Cocoa Tea made his mark as a consistent hitmaker with songs like “Tune In,” “Crying Time,” “Must Unite,” and “Come Again.“ 

“One of Cocoa Tea’s biggest hits that crossed over internationally was recorded in 2008 about then Presidential candidate Barack Obama,“ said Turner, noting that the video and song were featured on CNN and in The New York Times.

Turner said the song’s success in New York inspired Team Jamaica Bickle, Inc. (TJB), a philanthropic organization that provides hospitality to Jamaican and other Caribbean athletes at the Penn Relays Carnival at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

He said TJB added Cocoa Tea to the line-up of entertainers for a benefit concert at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Art, billed as “On the Road to Beijing Olympics.”

Turner said funds raised at the event assisted Jamaican athletes competing at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

“Cocoa Tea was not just an entertainer but an ‘edutainer,‘ who gave of himself through his music and philanthropic efforts that will live on as a rallying cry in the continued fight for our people’s freedom,“ said Irwine Clare, Sr., TJB’s founder and chairman.