This is Reggae Music: The Golden Era 1960-1975

This is Reggae Music: The Golden Era 1960-1975 is a new blog that explores the golden era of reggae music. We’ll be looking at the history, the artists, and the music that made this era so special.

Reggae’s African Roots

Reggae music has its roots in African music. The African musical traditions of mento and calypso, which are both African-Caribbean musical genres, heavily influenced reggae. Reggae is also influenced by the African musical traditions of ska and rocksteady.

The sounds of Africa

The music of Africa is as diverse as its many cultures, but there are some common elements that bind the continent’s musicians together. One of the most important is the use of call and response, in which one singer or musician leads and the others follow. This interactive style of singing is often used to engage the audience and create a sense of community.

Another significant element in African music is the use of percussion instruments. These can range from drums and xylophones to clapping and even the human voice. The rhythms created by these instruments are essential to many African dances and ceremonies.

African music has also been influence by a variety of outside sources, including Europe and the Americas. This can be seen in the popularity of genres like Reggae, which has its roots in both Africa and Jamaica. The unique blend of African and Western sounds has created a truly global musical style that is enjoyed by people all over the world.

The influence of Rastafarianism

The Afro-centric religion of Rastafarianism was popularized in the 1970s by Jamaican musicians such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, who infused reggae with religious lyrics advocating the divinity of Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie. Marley’s 1972 song “Concrete Jungle” is a perfect example of the fusion of religious and political themes in early reggae.

The Birth of Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae was first used to describe this new style of music in 1968, when a local journalist described a style of music that combined elements of ska, rocksteady, and African-American rhythm and blues.

The ska era

The ska era refers to the period of time when ska was the dominant style of music in Jamaica, and the wider world began to take notice. This era is generally considered to have lasted from around 1960 to 1965.

The first wave of ska (often referred to as “first generation ska”) was led by artists like Prince Buster, Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, and Duke Reid. These artists created a sound that was a hybrid of American R&B and Jamaican mento, with a heavy emphasis on Jamaican patois and syncopated rhythms.

First generation ska is often credited with laying the foundations for reggae, as it was from this style that reggae developed. Many of the key elements of reggae can be heard in first generation ska, including the offbeat guitar rhythms and the use of horns for melodic embellishment.

However, it was also during this era that Jamaica began to see the rise of rival musical styles, such as rocksteady and rude boy culture. These competing genres would go on to have a significant impact on the development of reggae in the years to come.

The rocksteady era

Reggae’s Rocksteady Era began in 1966 and ended in 1968. rocksteady was initially an up-tempo, ska-influenced form of reggae, named after a 1966 Alton Ellis single. The style was developed by musicians such as Ellis, Jackie Mittoo, Derrick Morgan and Lloyd Knibb. As ska slowed down to become rocksteady, the sound was dominated by the 1-3-5 guitar chord pattern (root, third and fifth notes of a major scale), organ playing and crooning vocal harmony trios.

One of the most important aspects of rocksteady was the development of the Jamaican sound system. Sound systems were mobile discotheques that played in outdoor venues such as parks or open-air dances. The speakers were powered by large amplifier cabinets placed on top of sound trucks. The largest sound systems, such as those owned by Duke Reid and Coxsone Dodd, operated out of dancehalls like Reid’s Treasure Isle and Dodd’s Studio One.

The rocksteady era ended abruptly with the 1968 Jamaica Independence Day riots. These riots were sparked by the shooting of Michael Manley, son of Jamaica’s Prime Minister at the time, by members of the opposing political party. The violence spread from Kingston to other parts of Jamaica, causing many businesses to close down and forcing many musicians to leave the island.

The Golden Era

The golden era of Reggae music was a time of great creativity and innovation. The music reflects the struggles and triumphs of the Jamaican people during this time. The golden era of Reggae music is considered to be from 1960 to 1975.

The roots of reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae”, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.

Reggae is based on a rhythmic style characterized by regular kicks played on the off-beat, known as the skank. Reggae is normally slower than its precursors: ska and rocksteady. The main instrumentation in reggae includes drums, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals, horns, and percussion.

The roots of reggae are found in African traditional music, mento (a Jamaican folk music style), as well as ska and rocksteady. Reggae developed from mento and calypso into something distinctly its own in Jamaica during the 1960s. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues (R&B). Rocksteady evolved from ska into a slower style that emphasized romantic lyrics over uptempo rhythms.

The conscious reggae era

Reggae music became more political in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with artists like Bob Marley and Lee “Scratch” Perry beginning to produce more explicitly political songs. This period is often referred to as the “conscious” reggae era, as it was characterized by an increase in lyrics about social and political issues. Many of these songs were critical of the Jamaican government and its treatment of the poor, leading to increased tensions between the government and the Jamaican people. This era also saw the rise of Rastafari, a religious movement that advocated for the repatriation of black people to Africa (a concept known as ” repatriation”). Rastafari became an important part of Jamaican culture during this period, with its own unique style of music (known as ” roots music”) and language (known as “dread talk”).

Reggae Today

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, “Do the Reggay” was the first popular song to use the word “reggae”, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.

The digital age

The internet has played a huge role in the rise of reggae music. With the help of social media, reggae artists have been able to reach a wider audience than ever before. Reggae festivals have also become popular events, helping to spread the music to new parts of the world.

The new generation

The new generation of reggae artists are carrying on the tradition of speaking to the oppressed and marginalised, but they are also expanding the musical palette of the genre. You’re just as likely to hear elements of hip hop, trap, R&B, dancehall and pop in contemporary reggae as you are traditional ska, rocksteady and roots sounds.

Stylistically, there is also more diversity than ever before – from the laid-back vibes of Protoje and Khalia to the hard-hitting conscious rap of Joey Bada$$ and Kendrick Lamar. But what all these artists have in common is a love for Jamaica and its music, and a desire to keep reggae’s spirit alive in the 21st century.