Cocoa Tea (born: Calvin Scott) has been on the cutting edge of reggae for more than a quarter century. A devoted enthusiast of Rastafarianism since the age of six, Cocoa Tea has used his soothing vocals to score numerous dancehall hits for such top ranked producers as Henry "Jump" Lawes, King Jammy, Bobby "Digital" Dixon and Phillip "Fattis" Burrell. In 1989 and 1990, Cocoa Tea recorded a series of hits — "Who She Love," "Pirates Anthem," and "Holding On" — with a trio that he shared with Home-T and Sabba Ranks. Although he's been criticized for his non-intellectual lyrics, which focus on women and dancehall dance styles, Cocoa Tea continues to attract attention with his Bob Marley & the Wailers-influenced music. Raised in the fishing village of Rocky point in Clarendon, Jamaica, Cocoa Tea began his career with several singles produced by Willie Francis in the mid-'70s. His first hits didn't come, however, until nearly a decade later, when he teamed with Henry Jump" Lawes, a producer and owner of the Volcano Sound System. Under Lawes' supervision, Cocoa Tea recorded such hits as "Sonia" and "Rockin' Dolly". Switching to King Jammy, in 1985, he recorded such hits as "Tune In" and "The Marshall". Beginning in 19, Cocoa Tea worked with producer Augustus "Gussie" Clark's Music Works label. In addition to recording win a trio with Ome-T and Shabba Ranks, he produced albums for Dennis Brown and Freddie McGregor. In 1996, Cocoa Tea recorded the hit, "Israel King", or Phillip "Fattis" Burrell's label, Xterminator. The following year, he began a two year stint with Bobby "Digital" Dixon's Digital-B label, recording the hits "Holy Mount Zion" in 1996 and "I'm Not A King" in 1997. Cocoa Tea continues to perform with dancehall sound systems including Jack Ruby's High Power, Gemini, Killimanjaro, Metromedia and Stone Love.
Biography by: Craig Harris, allmusic.com
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