Bunny Rugs
Jamaica
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Bunny Rugs
Release Date: 11/1/2023
about1
William Clarke, better known as Bunny Rugs, was chiefly known for being the lead singer of the Reggae supergroup Third World from 1976 to his passing in 2014.
Before joining Third World, he had worked for Jamaican genius producer Lee Scratch Perry, recording the "To Love Somebody" album in 1974, TABOU1 had the privilege of re-issuing in 1999.
His career took off when he joined Forced with the then-up-and-coming Third World which went on to become one of the leading Reggae formations in the late 70s and which has been active ever since, touring and releasing more than 20 studio albums so far.
With Third World, he recorded the seminal "96 degrees" in 1976, then a smash hit cover of "Now That We Found Love" in 1978, the "Hooked On Love" banger in 1981, and recorded "You've Got the Power" in 1982 with Stevie Wonder producing the group on two tracks, including the "Try Jah Love" million seller.
Parallel to his immense career with Third World, Bunny Rugs toured with Sly & Robbie in 2004 and recorded solo material. In particular, he worked with TABOU1 from 1999 onwards, starting with a collaboration with U Roy ("I Know who I am"). Over the years, Bunny Rugs and TABOU1 accumulated material that was recently mixed by mixing engineer legends Steven Stanley (Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, etc…), Godwin Logie, and up-and-coming Dartanyan Winston. The result of this fruitful collaboration is a deluxe edition of all of the mixes of each song, mastered by Bruno Sourice.
His soulful voice and ebullient personality concealed an unrivaled work ethic: during a break in Third World's 2005 tour of Europe, instead of relaxing in his hotel room in Amsterdam, he instead chose to use the 3 days off productively, asking that TABOU1 book studio time for him in Paris to record new material. We are proud to present a collection of previously unreleased tracks produced with Sly & Robbie and others as a tribute to one of Jamaica's finest singers.