Bunny Rugs | |
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![]() Pictured in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | William Alexander Anthony Clarke |
Also known as | Bunny Scott |
Born | Mandeville, Jamaica | 6 February 1948
Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
Died | 2 February 2014 Orlando, Florida, United States | (aged 65)
Genres | Reggae, Reggae fusion, funk, disco, ska |
Instrument(s) | vocals |
Years active | Mid-1960s–2014 |
Formerly of | Charlie Hackett and the Souvenirs Inner Circle Hugh Hendricks and the Buccaneers The Bluegrass Experience Bunny & Ricky Third World |
William Alexander Anthony "Bunny Rugs" Clarke , OD (6 February 1948 – 2 February 2014), also known as Bunny Scott, was the lead singer of Jamaican reggae band Third World as well as a solo artist. He began his career in the mid-1960s, and was also at one time a member of Inner Circle and half of the duo Bunny & Ricky.
Born in Mandeville and raised on John's Lane in Kingston, Clarke's father was an Anglican preacher. [1] He joined Charlie Hackett and the Souvenirs, the resident band at the Kittymat Club on Maxfield Avenue, in the mid-1960s before leading the early line-up of Inner Circle in 1969. [2] A spell living in New York City followed from 1971 where he was a member of the dance band Hugh Hendricks and the Buccaneers, and later the Bluegrass Experience with Glen Adams, Eric Frater and Sparrow Martin. [1] [3] He returned to Jamaica in 1974 and recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry at the Black Ark, initially as a backing singer, then with Leslie Kong's nephew Ricky Grant as the duo Bunny & Ricky, releasing singles such as "Freedom Fighter" and "Bushweed Corntrash", and also recording the solo album To Love Somebody (1975, credited as Bunny Scott). [1] He was also a member of The Wild Bunch before returning to New York and taking over as lead singer of Third World from Milton "Prilly" Hamilton in 1976. [3] With Third World he recorded the successful 96° in the Shade album, and was with the band until his death in early 2014 [3] He returned to the Black Ark in 1977, contributing backing vocals (with Earl 16) to Yabby You's "Chant Down Babylon Kingdom". [1]
As well as performing and recording with Third World, he continued to record as a solo artist, releasing the Jack Scorpio-produced Talking to You album in 1995, with guest contributions from Papa San, Cobra and General Trees. [3] [4]
His planned 2008 album Thinking Bout You was due to be released on 6 February, to coincide with Bob Marley Day celebrations, the date also being Clarke's birthday. [5] He contributed to the Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band album in 2009, contributing a version of " Lovely Rita" recorded with U-Roy.
In 2012 he released the single "Land We Love", with profits going to the charities the Jamaican Children's Heart Fund (the charity for which he was a spokesman) and Chain of Hope. [6] The single was taken from the album Time, released in September 2012. [6] [7] Later that year he received a Caribbean American Heritage Award for Outstanding Contribution to Reggae. [8]
Health problems forced him to miss some of the shows on Third World's fortieth anniversary tour in 2013, and he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with cancer. [9] In early 2014 he was hospitalized in Orlando, Florida, where he was treated for leukemia, and died on 2 February, 4 days before what would have been his 66th birthday. [9] [10] [11] A memorial service later that month included tributes from Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna, opposition culture spokesperson Olivia Grange, and former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson. [12] He is survived by his wife and five children. [13]
Clarke explained that his 'Bunny Rugs' nickname came from his grandmother calling him 'Bunny' as a child because he would "jump around the house like a rabbit" and from a member of the Third World road crew calling him 'Rugs' because of his liking for sleeping on the floor. [14]
In 2016 it was announced that Clarke would be posthumously awarded the Order of Distinction (Officer Class) by the Jamaican government for his contribution to the country's music. [15]
See also Third World