A Brief History of Reggae Music

Reggae music has its origins in the ska, rocksteady and mento genres of Jamaican music. The term reggae was first used in 1968.

Origins 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, and the genre was later given its own name in 1971. Reggae is a blend of African and Caribbean musical styles, and is heavily influenced by ska and rocksteady.

Ska

Ska is a popular music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. Ska combines elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the offbeat. Ska developed into rocksteady, then reggae.

The term ska comes from Jamaican patois, where it is the plural form of skavoovie, a word of unknown origin. The earliest mention of the term ska in print was inVICE magazine, in an article about Jamaican music written by Trevor Hamilton

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in 1966. Ska, the first distinctly Jamaican popular music, was developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Reggae’s direct predecessor is believed to be rocksteady, which was also created in ska’s wake. According to some scholars, rocksteady was a stopgap measure that evolved into reggae because of the poor economic conditions in late 1966 and early 1967. Other theorists contend that reggae was an outgrowth of rocksteady. By 1968, rocksteady had slowed down considerably from its original fast tempo but retained its snare-drum offbeat or backbeat and guitar sound effects.

The Golden Age of Reggae

Reggae music originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The style developed from ska and rocksteady and was influenced by American rhythm and blues, as well as by traditional Jamaican mento and calypso. The golden age of reggae was the 1970s. This was when the genre reached its height of popularity. Some of the most famous reggae artists emerged during this time, including Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, and Gregory Isaacs.

The Wailers

The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae band led by Bob Marley, which developed from the earlier ska vocal group, the Wailing Rudeboys, and finally the Wailing Wailers. The original line-up consisted of Marley himself, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Rita Anderson, and Beverly Kelso. The band’s stable lineup underwent some changes before they achieved their international success in the 1970s; Anderson and Kelso were replaced by Junior Braithwaite and Cherry Smith in 1964. In 1969 Joshua Cockroft replaced Smith, and in early 1971 Tyrone Downie joined and keyboardist Touter Harvey also became a full-time member. Ashton “Family Man” Barrett joined on bass guitar in late 1971.

The group signed with Chris Blackwell’s Island Records label in 1963, and had their first hitSingle “Simmer Down”, which was a number one in Jamaica. By 1967 they began to attract wider attention outside of their native island with songs like “I Should Have Known Better”, “Soul Shakedown Party”, and “Stop That Train”. Their 1968 album Soul Rebels reached the British Top 10 album chart. The album included one of their biggest hits “Duppy Conqueror”. After an American tour in June 1971 the original members excluding Marley, who remained in England, returned to Jamaica to record what became Catch a Fire.

Bob Marley

Bob Marley is one of the most influential figures in the history of reggae music. Born in 1945 in Jamaica, Marley rose to prominence in the 1970s with his band, The Wailers. The Wailers were one of the first reggae bands to gain international recognition, thanks in part to Marley’s unique songwriting and charismatic stage presence. Marley’s most famous songs include “No Woman, No Cry,” “One Love,” and “Buffalo Soldier.” He died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, but his music continues to be hugely popular worldwide.

Jimmy Cliff

Born in Somerton District, Saint James, Jamaica, on 1 April 1948, Jimmy Cliff is a prolific Jamaican reggae musician, singer, and actor. His best-known hits include “Sitting in Limbo”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “Many Rivers to Cross”. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.

Cliff began his career in 1963 with a pair of singles, “Dearest Beverley” and “A Little Bit of Soap”, before finding fame in 1968 with the release of his album The Harder They Come. The title track of the same name became an international hit and is widely considered to be one of the greatest reggae songs of all time.

Cliff’s subsequent albums have been less successful commercially, but still continue to find favour with critics; 2004’s Black Magic was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2008 he collaborated with Wyclef Jean on the album All Day All Night. In 2012 Cliff released Rebirth, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 25, his highest-charting album in the United States to date.

Reggae in the Modern Age

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 was popular in Jamaica at the time. Reggae is a distilled form of African music that is influenced by both African and Western music. Reggae is usually played on a drum and bass guitar.

Dancehall

Dancehall is a type of Jamaican music that evolved from reggae in the late 1970s. The term dancehall refers to the style of dancing that became popular along with the music. The most common dances performed to dancehall music are known as “rafioli” and “passa passa”.

Dancehall music is typically characterized by its use of electronic instrumentation, drum machines, and synthesizers. The drumbeat is often very fast and heavily accents the off-beat, or “skank”. The bass lines are also very prominent, often being played on either an electric bass guitar or a synthesizer.

One of the most distinctive features of dancehall music is the “toasting”, or rap-style vocals. This style of delivery was popularized by Jamaican deejays in the 1970s, and has since been adopted by many other genres of music, such as hip hop and dubstep.

However, not all dancehall music is characterized by toasting. Many songs instead feature sung lyrics, often about love or social issues. These “singjay” tracks are usually slower and have a more relaxed feel than the toasting songs.

Dub

The origins of dub can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s, when Jamaican musicians began manipulating studio recordings of reggae tracks by adding echo and reverb, as well as other effects. This newly created sound was dubbed ‘dub’ and quickly caught on with both reggae fans and producers. King Tubby is often credited as the pioneer of dub, thanks to his innovative work in the genre.

Dub became increasingly popular in the 1970s and 1980s, with many artists experimentings with the sound. Dancehall superstar Shabba Ranks was one of the first major artists to embrace dub, infusing it into his own unique style. By the 1990s, dub had become a staple of reggae music, with many artists incorporating it into their records.

In recent years, dub has undergone something of a renaissance, thanks to the rise of digital music production. Producers like Mad Professor and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry have been at the forefront of this resurgence, creating fascinating new takes on the classic sound. Dub is now more popular than ever before, with millions of people around the world enjoying its unique blend of melody and bass.