A Timeline of Reggae Music

A look at the history of Reggae music and how it has evolved over the years.

Origins of Reggae

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term reggae comes from the word “raggedy”, which was used to describe the music of that time. Reggae was developed by a combination of African, American, and Caribbean influences. The first reggae song was “Do the Reggay” by Toots and the Maytals.

Ska

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s. Ska combined 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. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads.

The origin of the word ska is unknown. It may be a Jamaican Patois corruption of the word scrap or throttle; or it may derive fromphp?la en skaville (“the town full of ska”).

Rocksteady

Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in 1966. It was a direct predecessor of reggae and a major influence on Ska and dub. The term rocksteady comes from a style of dance mentioned in the Alton Ellis song “Rocksteady”.

The music was greatly influenced by American rhythm and blues, as well as Jamaican ska. The style developed when Ska evolved into Blues Ballads with Bass, Piano, Guitar and Drums instrumentals, which were then combined with R&B vocals.

The first recordings of the new style were done by Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle studio band the Supersonics in 1966 with hit songs such as “Hold Me Tight” and “You Don’t Care”, followed by Chris Blackwell’s Jamaica All Stars with “Nanny Goat” and “No More Heartaches”.

The Golden Age of Reggae

The 1970s were the golden age of reggae music. This was a time when the genre was truly starting to find its footing, and when some of the biggest and most influential names in the genre first came to prominence. The golden age of reggae saw the rise of artists like Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, and Gregory Isaacs, and the genre began to find its way into the mainstream.

The Wailers

The Wailers were a Jamaican reggae band created by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer in 1963. The Wailers are considered to be one of the best-known and most influential reggae groups of all time.

The band achieved international fame with their album Catch a Fire and their song “No Woman, No Cry”, which was included on the album. The Wailers have sold over 250 million records worldwide.

The Wailers were originally formed as a ska group by Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer in 1963. The group’s sound soon began to change as they began to experiment with other genres such as rocksteady and reggae.

The Wailers achieved international fame with their album Catch a Fire and their song “No Woman, No Cry”, which was included on the album. The song became an anthem for the poor and oppressed in Jamaica and across the world.

The Wailers continued to record and tour throughout the 1970s and 1980s, despite lineup changes and the death of Bob Marley in 1981. The group remains active to this day, now consisting of original members Bunny Wailer and Aston “Family Man” Barrett, along with new members Junior Marvin and Tyrone Downie.

Bob Marley

Bob Marley is widely considered to be one of the most influential reggae artists of all time. He was born in 1945 in Jamaica, and his musical career began in 1963 with the formation of the group The Wailers. The group released their debut album in 1965, and they went on to achieve international success with a string of hits throughout the 1970s. Bob Marley died in 1981, but his music continues to be popular around the world.

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff, OM (born James Chambers; 1 April 1948) is a Jamaican singer, musician, and actor. He is the only living musician to hold the Order of Merit and the Order of Distinction from Jamaica. Cliff is one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. He is also a multi-platinum recording artist.

Cliff began his professional career working as a welder by day and spending his nights performing at local clubs, before going on to enjoy success as one of the earliest reggae musicians to achieve mainstream renown in the late 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as “Wonderful World, Beautiful People”, “Harder They Come”, and “Sitting in Limbo”. Alongside artists like Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytals, Cliff was one of the first wave of Jamaican artists to gain international prominence in the ska era, scoring his first hit with “Dearest Bee” in 1964. As piracy began to ravage sales of Jamaican music abroad during the 1970s, Cliff continues to find success on the reggae charts at home. His 1974 album Inspiration was one of several hit albums he produced during this decade. By 1977’s Follow My Mind album, he had moved away from hard reggae but still found success on both sides of the Atlantic with songs such as “Give Thankx”, while embarking on an acting career which led to roles in films such as The Harder They Come and Club Paradise.

The Reggae Revival

Reggae music has undergone a revival in recent years, with a new generation of artists bringing the sounds of Jamaica to a global audience. This revival has been led by artists like Chronixx, Protoje, and Kabaka Pyramid, who have been at the forefront of a movement to bring reggae back to its roots. Let’s take a look at the timeline of reggae music and the artists who have been instrumental in its resurgence.

Chronixx

Chronixx, bornJamar Rolando McNaughton, is a Jamaican reggae artist. Chronixx is one of the leading artists in the recent wave of the Jamaican reggae revival movement. He is best known for his single “Here Comes Trouble”, as well as his collaboration with Major Lazer on the track “Start a Fire”.

Chronixx began his musical career as a member of the Rastafarian group The Zinc Fence Redemption. The group released their debut album in 2010, which was followed by Chronixx’s solo EP, Hooked on Chronixx, in 2012. His debut full-length album, Dread & Terrible, was released in 2014 to critical acclaim.

Chronixx has been described as a “rootical” and “positive” reggae artist, and has credited Bob Marley and Peter Tosh as two of his biggest influences.

Protoje

Protoje is a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter, and record producer. His mother is Lorna Bennett, best known for her 1974 rendition of Maxi Priest’s “Close to You”. He released his debut studio album Seven Year Itch on 11 May 2011. Protoje’s second album, The 8 Year Affair, was released on 5 February 2013. His third album, AncientFuture, was released on 17 March 2015. He is a Rastafarian.

Contemporary Reggae

Contemporary reggae is a genre of popular music that originated in Jamaica in the 1960s. Ska and rocksteady are the precursors to reggae. Reggae is characterized by a 4/4 time signature, offbeat rhythms, and a lot of syncopation. The lyrics are often about important social issues.

Popcaan

Popcaan is a Jamaican reggae artist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Saint Thomas, Jamaica, in 1988. Popcaan’s music is a mix of dancehall, reggae and rap. His first album, “Where We Come From”, was released in 2014. It included the singles “Only Man She Want” and “Everything Nice”. Popcaan’s second album, “Fixtape”, was released in 2019. It included the singles “Body So Good” and “Superstar”.

Koffee

Koffee is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and rapper. She is best known for her songs “Toast” and “Raggamuffin”. Koffee first gained recognition when she was featured on the remix of Drake’s song “Controlla”, which was released in 2016. She released her debut EP, “Rapture”, in 2019. Her debut album, “LIttle Black Book”, is scheduled to be released in 2020.

Early life
Koffee was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on April 11, 2000. Koffee’s father died when she was two years old, and she was raised by her mother and grandmother. Koffee began playing guitar when she was eight years old and started writing songs when she was ten.

Career
In 2016, Koffee was featured on the remix of Drake’s song “Controlla”. The remix was released as a single and peaked at number forty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Koffee’s debut EP, “Rapture”, was released in 2019. The EP peaked at number five on the Billboard Reggae albums chart and includes the singles “Toast” and “Raggamuffin”. Koffee’s debut album, “LIttle Black Book”, is scheduled to be released in 2020.

Artistry
Koffee has cited Bob Marley, Buju Banton, Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliott, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Wizkid, and Burna Boy as her musical influences.