'Bunny Rugs' from the band Third World launched his debut solo album on Thursday at The Verandah,Trafalgar Road. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Third World lead singer Bunny Rugs was dubbed 'the voice' in the images projected on the screen at the Verandah, Trafalgar Road, on Thursday night, as he introduced his solo album, I'm Sure.

But it was also his heart and the hearts of several children which were on the mind of Gary Harris, public relations manager of the Jamaican Children's Heart Fund.

The medical team from South Florida is currently in Jamaica, performing heart surgery on a number of children at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI).

"Bunny has offered his time and talent and much more for the Heart Fund to come down and do the heart surgeries we do," said Harris, before a video of him making a public appeal for contributions, which was televised in the United States, was shown to those gathered on the grounds of the Pulse headquarters.

New pledge

At the end, Rugs showed that his heart went to his pocket, saying "I am pledging part proceeds of the sales of my new CD to this worthy effort."

"Ladies and gentlemen, that is why we have to support Bunny Rugs," Harrissaid.

It was also a major reason for People's Telecom's presence, their banner announcing major support and a representative saying that the organisation supports efforts that benefit the country and, with the Heart Fund, "we can do something good."

Patrick LaFayette gave a history of Rugs' music career at the brief function, his own touching tale, as he said "one of the last things I saw in 1977, just before I lost my sight, was Stevie Wonder's album Songs In The Key of Life. I can remember the colours and everything. Then, there was another album I saw, 96 Degrees in the Shade. A great contributor to that album was Bunny Rugs."

Blessings

And shortly after came the voice of Rugs, strong and clear over a recorded track, singing: "I always remember what he has done for me."

As the song gathered momentum so did he, bouncing on his toes and smiling below his dark glasses as he hit the chorus of I'm Sure, the sixth song and title track on the 12-track album.

"A lot of people ask: 'Bunny, now you have a solo album, are you still with Third World?' Mr. Coore (Third World member) being here is to ensure that Bunny Rugs will always be a part of Third World," he said.

Rugs sang God Bless from the new album, a child's voice on the backing track going into a Psalm with "blessed is the man who walketh not" at one point.

"If yu look roun', yu see mango season a come. A blessing dat y'nuh" Rugs said.