BBC Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music

A blog dedicated to discussing the history and impact of Jamaican music, with a focus on reggae.

Origins of Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae encompasses a variety of musical styles, including ska, rocksteady, and dub. Reggae is often associated with the Rastafari movement, which promotes the inclusion of all races and cultures. The music of reggae is characterized by a strong bass line, syncopated rhythms, and lyrics that are often spiritual or political in nature.

Ska

Ska was the first Jamaican popular music. It was a fusion of Caribbean mento and calypso with American rhythm and blues. Ska developed in the late 1950s, and by the early 1960s it was the dominant style of music in Jamaica. It quickly spread to Britain, where it became the first stage of what would later be called reggae.

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor to ska and precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica from 1966 to 1968. The term rocksteady comes from a song by Alton Ellis, “Rock Steady”.

Rocksteady’s golden age lasted about two years and produced records considered among the finest ever made in Jamaican popular music. It also brought an end to the first wave of ska, putting an emphasis on slow, heavy bass and complex hi-hat patterns over the racing double-bass riddim of the early ska era.

The Rise of Reggae

Reggae music has its origins in the early 1960s, in the small island country of Jamaica. The music was a way for the Jamaican people to express their struggles and joys, and it quickly spread throughout the world. Reggae music has become a symbol of Jamaican culture, and it is loved by people of all ages.

The Wailers

The Wailers were the most popular reggae band of all time, and their music was a major force in the development of Jamaican popular music. The Wailers were formed in 1963 by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer, and they went on to achieve international success with their distinctive brand of reggae. The Wailers’ music was characterized by its conscious lyrics, catchy melodies, and infectious rhythms. The band’s most famous songs include “Get Up, Stand Up,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “No Woman, No Cry,” and “Exodus.”

The Wailers’ success was due in part to their willingness to experiment with different styles of music. In the early years of their career, the band incorporated elements of ska and rocksteady into their sound. As reggae became more popular in the 1970s, the Wailers began experimenting with dub and other forms of Jamaican music. This willingness to experiment helped to make the Wailers one of the most innovative and influential bands in Jamaican history.

Bob Marley

Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. His mother, Cedella Marley, was only 18 years old at the time. His father, Captain Norval Sinclair Marley, was a 60-year-old white Jamaican who worked as a supervisor on an estate. Cedella and Norval were not married to each other, which was not unusual in Jamaica at that time.

Bob Marley grew up in the small village of Nine Mile in the parish of St. Ann. He had a happy childhood and was very close to his mother and grandparents. He went to school in Nine Mile and then moved to Kingston when he was 12 years old to live with his father.

In Kingston, Bob attended Junior High School before he dropped out to begin working full-time. He worked a series of odd jobs before landing a job as a welder at the Chinese-Jamaican ran Air Supply Company. It was around this time that Marley began to pursue his musical career more seriously.

Reggae’s International Appeal

Reggae’s international appeal was perhaps first truly realized in the UK, however, when the skinhead subculture of the late 1960s and early 1970s began to embrace the Jamaican sound.

The UK skinheads were a working class youth movement distinguished by their cropped hair and simple, stylish clothing. They were often involved in clashes with racist groups such as the National Front, and their embrace of reggae was seen as a defiant statement of black cultural pride.

Reggae’s popularity continued to grow in the UK throughout the 1970s, culminating in the rise of “lovers rock” in the mid-1970s and the rise of punk rock in the late 1970s. Reggae also found a home in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and other countries around the world.

The Evolution of Reggae

Reggae music has its roots in the African-American music of the early 20th century. The music first developed in the Jamaican town of Trenchtown in the 1960s. The earliest reggae recordings were made in the late 1960s, but the genre did not gain international popularity until the 1970s.

Dancehall

Dancehall is a type of Jamaican popular music that developed in the late 1970s. It is a fusion of reggae, calypso, and other Caribbean music styles. Dancehall typically features a fast tempo, electronic instrumentation, and sexually explicit lyrics.

Dancehall evolved out of earlier Jamaican popular music styles such as ska and rocksteady. It was initially popular with working-class Jamaicans, but it quickly became the dominant musical style in Jamaica. By the 1980s, dancehall was Jamaican music’s most popular genre.

Dancehall has been highly influential on other genres of music, including hip hop, pop, and electronic dance music. It has also been a significant force in the evolution of reggae itself.

Dub

Dub is a genre of music that was developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. It is a mix of reggae, dub and rocksteady. The music is characterized by its heavy bass and drum sound. The term “dub” refers to the practice of adding echo and other effects to the recordings. Dub music has influenced many other genres of music, including hip hop, techno and drum and bass.

Reggae Today

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae was first used to describe a style of music that developed from ska and rocksteady. Reggae is often characterized by a four-on-the-floor drum beat, offbeat rhythms, and a heavy bass guitar. Reggae has been a major influence on many other genres of music, including hip hop, dancehall, and dub.

Contemporary Reggae Artists

In the early 2000s, a new generation of reggae artists emerged, helping to keep the genre relevant in the 21st century. These contemporary reggae artists are often influenced by hip hop, dancehall, and other genres, resulting in a unique sound that is distinctly their own.

Some of the most popular contemporary reggae artists include:

-Damian Marley: The youngest son of Bob Marley, Damian Marley is a three-time Grammy Award winner whose 2010 album Welcome to Jamrock was critically acclaimed.
-Shaggy: A Jamaican-born singer and DJ who first gained fame in the 1990s with his albums Oh Carolina and Boombastic, Shaggy has since reinvented himself as a reggae artist, collaborating with artists like Sting and Patra.
-Sean Paul: A dancehall artist who has crossover appeal, Sean Paul has collaborated with mainstream artists like Beyonce, Rihanna, and Busta Rhymes. His 2002 album Dutty Rock was a huge success, spawning the hit singles “Gimme the Light” and “Get Busy.”