Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music

Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music is a new book by Jeremy Collingwood. It tells the story of how Jamaican music developed from its African roots through to the present day.

The Origins of Reggae

Music is an integral part of Jamaican culture, with a long history dating back to the island’s earliest days. Reggae is a particularly important genre, with its roots firmly planted in the island’s rich cultural heritage. In this article, we’ll take a look at the origins of reggae and how it has come to shape the Jamaican music scene.

The African connection

Reggae’s origins can be traced to the African vocal style of “mento” and the Afro-Caribbean rhythms of calypso and, specifically, to the music of Jamaica. Reggae evolved from other genres in the 1960s, as Ska and Rocksteady were becoming popular. The first use of the word reggae was in 1968 with Toots Hibbert’s song “Do the Reggay”; it was also used in a song by The Maytals the following year. Reggae is primarily a Jamaican music genre, however it has also been influenced by soul, rhythm and blues, and even pop music.

Reggae has its roots in mento, an African-Caribbean folk music that was popular in Jamaica in the early 20th century. Mento typically features acoustic instruments such as guitar, banjo, and handheld percussion instruments such as maracas. The lyrics are often lighthearted and cheeky, and mento songs are often about everyday life in Jamaica.

Ska is a Jamaican music genre that emerged in the late 1950s. It is a fast-paced style that combines elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska quickly became popular in Jamaica, especially among working-class youths.

Rocksteady is a genres of Jamaican popular music that developed from ska and R&B in the late 1960s. Rocksteady uses a laid-back, slow tempo throughout its songs; this musical style was created to appeal to dancers who wanted to take a break from the fast pace of ska. Many rocksteady songs are love songs with simple harmonies.

The Jamaican connection

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The earliest form of the genre was ska, which developed from mento, rocksteady and other Jamaican musical styles. Ska became popular in the early 1960s, and by the end of the decade, other genres such as rocksteady and reggae had emerged.

Reggae is deeply rooted in African-American music, specifically in the blues and jazz of the 1940s and 1950s. These genres were brought to Jamaica by American soldiers stationed there during World War II, and they quickly took root in the island’s musical culture. Reggae also draws inspiration from mento, a traditional Jamaican folk style that combines elements of African and European music.

The origins of the word “reggae” are unclear, but it is believed to be derived from either the patois word for “rags” or from the English word “streak,” which was used to describe a type of dance often performed to reggae music. Whichever its origins, by the 1970s, “reggae” had come to be used as a catch-all term for all Jamaican music genres.

Reggae has been hugely influential on popular music around the world, particularly on soul, R&B, funk and hip hop. Its relaxed,, rhythmic sound has also been adopted by many electronic dance music producers over the years.

The Spread of Reggae

Reggae music originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The genre is a blend of African and Caribbean music. Reggae is heavily influenced by the Rastafari movement, which promotes the use of marijuana and other natural herbs for spiritual purposes. The music spread to other countries in the 1970s, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The British connection

Reggae’s popularity began to spread beyond Jamaica in the 1960s, thanks in part to the large number of Jamaicans living in the UK. Reggae quickly became a mainstay on British radio, with BBC Radio 1 and Capital Radio both featuring regular reggae programming. British rock bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones also began to experiment with reggae, incorporating it into their own music. By the 1970s, reggae was firmly established as a genre in its own right in the UK, with artists such as Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff achieving mainstream success.

The American connection

Reggae music started to gain popularity in the United States in the early 1970s, when record labels such as Island, Vanguard, and Tuff Gong began to release reggae albums by artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Burning Spear, and Lee “Scratch” Perry. American college radio stations also started to play reggae music, which was introduced to audiences through the work of English deejays such as John Peel and Adrian Sherwood.

In 1975, Marley and the Wailers toured the United States, where they played at venues such as the Apollo Theater in New York City and shared billing with acts such as B.B. King and Stevie Wonder. The group’s performances were credited with helping to introduce reggae music to American audiences. Reggae artists such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Issacs, Maxi Priest, and Inner Circle also achieved success in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s.

The popularity of reggae music in the United States was given a boost by the release of the film The Harder They Come (1972), which starred Jamaican actor Jimmy Cliff as a musician who turns to a life of crime. The film’s soundtrack album featured songs by Marley and Perry, among others, and helped to increase interest in Jamaican music. In more recent years, American rappers have sampled reggae tracks or collaborated with reggae artists on songs; for example, Snoop Dogg has worked with Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, and Sean Paul.

The Evolution of Reggae

Reggae music has its origins in the ska and rocksteady of the 1960s. Reggae developed from these two genres, which themselves were a offshoot of mento, a style of popular Jamaican folk music. Reggae is characterized by a strong rhythm section, often featuring drums, bass, and electric guitar, as well as horns and synthesizers; vocals are typically delivered in a nasal, drawling style.

Ska

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the 1950s. It is a precursor to rocksteady and reggae. 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 off beat. The tempo is usually fast, but it can vary depending on the style. Ska is usually played with electric guitar, electric bass, drums, horns and keyboards.

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1960s. It was a crucial development in the history of Jamaican music, and a precursor to the reggae style that would soon dominate the island’s pop music scene.

Rocksteady was the result of a gradual evolution of ska and R&B, and took its name from a 1968 song by Alton Ellis. The style was characterized by slower rhythms than ska, and often featured horns and piano as well as guitar. The lyrics were often more sentimental than those of earlier Jamaican styles, and focused on themes of love and relationships.

The rocksteady era lasted until around 1968, when it was replaced by the more politicized and militant reggae. However, rocksteady has remained popular in Jamaica, and has had a significant influence on subsequent genres such as dancehall and ragga.

Reggae

The word reggae was first used in print in 1968, in a music column in the Jamaican weekly jazz and pop music newspaper The Sunday Gleaner. In the column “Reggae Gossip” written by T. Burke, he mentions that “Clancy Eccles has a new single out, ‘People Funny Boy’, which is transitional in that it mixes up ska and rocksteady”. The term entered popular usage with the 1968 release of the soundtrack to Perry Henzell’s film The Harder They Come, which included both ska and rocksteady tracks as well as two linear forerunners of reggae: Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s “Freedom Sounds” (which contains proto-reggae instrumentation) and Jimmy Cliff’s cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World”.

Reggae developed from two predecessor genres towards the end of the 1960s. One was Rhythm and Blues, patterned after Chess Records releases, such as Howlin’ Wolf’s “Moanin’ at Midnight”, that incorporated electric guitar work by Guitar Slim. Another was mento, a style influenced by calypso music and songs with a strongly African rhythm section that was popularized by Lord Tanamo’s recordings from the 1950s. These two genres had begun to mix together in Jamaica around 1966 when producers such as Duke Reid and King Edwards began incorporating electric instruments into their recordings of existing mento songs.

In 1967 Winston Riley released “Staggerlee”, which combined elements of mento and R&B; it was covered later that year by Lloyd Robinson as “Murderer”. Coxsone Dodd’s sound system played the two records together on separate occasions within the same month, at dances held in Park Lane and elsewhere; they were eventually pressed on the same recordSex Pistols – Never Mind The Bollocks – CD. The song became an instant hit among Jamaican listeners who found its lewd lyrical content appealing; Robinson’s single sold so well that Dodd re-recorded his own version with different lyrics entitled “Shank I Sheck”.

Reggae historian Steve Barrow writes that there is no evidence to support claims made by some members of Trenchtown society that Rastafarianism inspired or created reggae music; rather, he states, reggae was already present in Trenchtown before Rastafarians came to live there.

The Golden Age of Reggae

The 1970s was the golden age of reggae. This was a decade when themusic of Jamaica began to take the world by storm. The sounds of Bob Marley and the Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, and many other reggae artists filled the airwaves and brought the unique Jamaican sound to the masses.

The 1970s

The Jamaican music scene of the 1970s was a period of great creativity and diversity. With the international success of Bob Marley and the Wailers, reggae became a global phenomenon, sparking a roots revival in Jamaica that would produce some of the greatest music of all time. Other artists such as Jesse Royal, Protoje, and Kabaka Pyramid are keeping that legacy alive today.

The 1980s

REggae took the world by storm in the 1970s, with Bob Marley becoming an international superstar. But it was in the 1980s that reggae really cemented its place in the global musical landscape, thanks to a new generation of artists who took the music in exciting new directions.

Jamaica in the 1980s was a very different place to the one Marley had known. The country was plagued by political violence, and many young people were turning to gangs and drugs to escape their reality. But despite the tough conditions, there was a vibrant music scene flourishing, as sound systems competed to play the latest hits and up-and-coming singers looked for their big break.

One of the biggest stars to emerge from this period was Yellowman, who became known for his rapid-fire lyrics and playful stage persona. His sexually explicit lyrics often caused controversy, but they also helped him to become one of the most popular dancers on the Jamaican dancehall scene. He remains one of Jamaica’s best-loved artists, and his influence can still be heard in today’s music.

Another artist who made his mark in the 1980s was Bounty Killer, whose aggressive style was a far cry from the laid-back vibes of Marley and his contemporaries. Bounty Killer’s social commentary struck a chord with many Jamaicans, and he quickly became one of the most successful artists of his generation. His impact is still felt today, with many modern artists citing him as an inspiration.

The 1980s also saw reggae start to make its mark on mainstream pop music. UB40’s cover of “Red Red Wine” became a huge hit around the world, while Madonna collaborated with Jamaican artist Shabba Ranks on her hit single “La Isla Bonita”. These crossover successes helped to introduce reggae to a whole new audience and cement its place as one of the most popular genres of music.

The Legacy of Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae refers to the musical style which was inspired by ska and rocksteady. Reggae is characterized by a 4/4 time signature, offbeat rhythms, and Rastafarian lyrics. The music was popularized in the 1970s by artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers.

The influence of reggae on other genres

Reggae’s influence can be heard in other genres of music, including rock, pop, hip hop, and R&B. Reggae has been a major source of inspiration for many artists, including Bob Marley, Snoop Dogg, Lauryn Hill, Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, Sean Paul, and Shaggy.

Reggae has also been a major influence on the development of electronic music. The genre’s use of simplicity and repetition has influenced many producers and DJs, who have used reggae samples and rhythms in their own productions. Reggae’s impact on electronic music can be heard in the work of artists such as Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx, Banksy, and Skream.

The influence of reggae on Jamaican culture

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, dub, and dancehall. Reggae is deeply rooted in the history, culture, and society of Jamaica and has had a significant impact on the island’s economy and way of life.

Reggae music evolved out of other Jamaican music genres such as ska and rocksteady. Reggae developed its own unique sound and style that was influenced by African and American popular music, as well as traditional Jamaican/Caribbean music. Reggae artists often use elements of speech (such as patois) to add flavor to their lyrics. The use of electric guitars, bass guitars, drums, and keyboards are also common in reggae music.

Reggae’s impact on Jamaican culture can be seen in many aspects of daily life on the island. For example, the Rastafarian movement began in Jamaica in the 1930s and was greatly influenced by reggae music. Rastafarians follow a religious creed that includes the use of marijuana (ganja) for medicinal and religious purposes. The signature colors of the Rastafarian flag (red, gold, and green) can often be seen incorporated into reggae fashion and design.

Reggae has also had an impact on Jamaican cuisine. One popular dish that originated from reggae culture is jerk chicken (spicy grilled chicken). Many Jamaican restaurants have jerk chicken on their menus, and it has become popular in other countries as well.