Listen to Bob Marley
|
Reggae is considered the music of the downtrodden in Jamaica that was brought to world attention when it was championed by British Punks dedicated to racial equality. Reggae served as an essential element of the Jamaican Rastafarian religion, which, considerably counter- cultural in its beliefs, emerged in the early 1930s in Jamaica. |
Listen To RM Radio
|
The Term As a music genre Reggae first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used broadly to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, reggae as a term more properly denotes a particular music style that evolved from Ska and Rock-steady, two earlier genres in Jamaica. As a musical term, it first appeared in print with the 1968 Rocksteady hit "Do the Reggay" by The Maytals, but there are many different theories as to how the term originated. The Maytals - Do The Reggay
|
Clancy Eccles - Sweet Jamaica
|
Prince Buster
|
Reggae Root Songs
|
Desmond Dekker - Israelites
|
Johnny Nash - "Hold Me Tight"
|
The Pioneers - Reggae Fever
|
Bob Marley - I Shot The Sheriff
|
Anarexol Dub - Eek A Mouse
|
Alborosie - Black Woman
|
John Holt - Ali Ba Ba
|
In the early 1960s, Tosh and others, sang
a mixture of Western and Carrabean influences about social issues in the slums in Jamaica. This was known as Ska music, they then later combined this with soul influences from the US (rock steady). ‘In 1971, the Wailers benfited from the success of the film ‘The Harder They Come’. The movie chronicled gang life in Trenchtown and featured the music of Jamaican star Jimmy Cliff. The film quickly spread throught the US becoming an international hit and creating a worldwide market for reggae music. The Wailers soon became huge, and having abandoned ska and rocksteady embraced a new music rooted in Rastafrianism which became known as Reggae.. The Wailers soon became huge globally. Above all, Reggae was a political music that embraced equality for all. The Wailers, along with other reggae groups such as Toots and the Maytals, Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, and Steel Pulse, lambasted the racism and capitalism that Britian had imposed on Jamaica. They pursued togetherness, non violence, anti- pollution. Some bands such as Bob Marley and the Wailers became very active politically. Soon Bob Marley led the way for Reggae internationally. |
Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come
The Wailers - Stir It Up
The Wailers, a band started by Bob Marley,
Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer in 1963, is perhaps the most recognized band that made the transition through all three stages of early Jamaican popular music: ska, rocksteady and reggae. Other significant reggae pioneers include Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker and Ken Boothe. |
Peter Tosh - Walk & Don't Look Back
|
Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldier
|
The Beltones - No More Heartaches
|
In early 1968 the first bona fide reggae records were released: "Nanny Goat" by Larry Marshall and "No More Heartaches" by The Beltones. Also in 1968, the newest Jamaican sound began spawning big-name imitators in other countries. US artist Johnny Nash's 1968 hit "Hold Me Tight" is credited with first putting Reggae in the American listener charts. Meanwhile, reggae influences were surfacing in rock andpop music, for example: The Beatles: "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La- Da". |
The Beatles - Obladi Oblada
|
In late 1972, the influence of reggae impacted at the the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts. Three Dog Night had a #1 hit with a cover of the Maytones' version of "Black and White". Then Then Johnny Nash had a huge hit with "I Can See Clearly Now". In 1973, the film The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff was released introducing Jamaican music to movie audiences outside of Jamaica. While it achieved cult status its limited appeal saw it have a smaller impact than Eric Clapton's 1974 cover of "I Shot the Sheriff" which made it onto the playlists of mainstream rock and pop radio stations globally. Clapton's "I Shot The Sheriff" was thus important in bringing the music of Bob Marley to wider rock audiences. |
Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now
Developing from Ska and Rocksteady in the 1960s, the musical shift was illustrated by the organ shuffle pioneered by Jamaican musicians like Jackie Mittoo and Winston Wright and featured in many transitional singles. The Pioneers' 1968 track "Long Shot (Bus' Me Bet)" is considered the earliest recorded example of the new rhythm sound that became known as reggae. The Pioneers - Long Shot
|
In the late 1970s, the British punk rock scene was forming with reggae a notable influence. The DJ Don Letts and others would play reggae and punk tracks at many clubs. Punk bands such as The Clash. The Ruts. The Members and The Slits often played many reggae- influenced songs. During this time, reggae took a new path in the UK; created by the multiracial makeup of England's inner cities best portayed by groups such as Steel Pulse, Aswad and UB40 among others. As such, the Jamaican ghetto themes in the lyrics were replaced by UK inner city themes, and Jamaican slang was intermingled with Cockney slang. |