history of reggae music

When it comes to reggae music, most associate the genre with the beauty of Jamaica, Bob Marley, Rasta and Marijuana. Nonetheless, there are much more to the development of this impactful genre. Many would agree that Mento, Ska and Lovers Rock gave birth to Reggae as we know it today. The diversity of the genre truly captures the musical culture of Jamaica and members of the global Diaspora. It’s a movement that became a way of living and social commentary for the oppressed and less fortunate who struggled with poverty, classism and prejudice. Reggae originated from the deep influence of folk dance and drums that derived from the continent of Africa. A format fused together that incorporates some of the musical influence of Calypso, American Jazz, Country & Western mixed with Rhythm n Blues. This formation led to the start of a new era in the early 1950’s. MENTO was now the new distinctive musical form of Jamaican music that captivated the rich traditions from Africa and slavery. The first recording studio in Jamaica started in 1951 by Stanley Motta (mento) & Ivan Chin (calypso), thus enabling artists and selectors to compete on local sound systems. The development also created phonographic records which played an essential role in the economic and cultural aspect of Reggae music.  Record collectors such as Chris Blackwell would travel to the states, purchase American music and return to sell/play them on local sound systems. These sound selectors were actual musical celebrities and would have toasting competition (vocal rhyming/dj chanting) while the music was being played. Two of the biggest sound selectors at the time were Clement “Coxsone” Dodd (Downbeat) and Duke Reid (Trojan). In 1954 Ken Khouri started the first record label in Jamaica (Federal Records). This venture inspired both Dodd and Reid to start recording local talents for their sound systems. Artists started to form bands and blue-beat groups that were heavily influenced by the sounds of New Orleans Jazz. Such melodic wave transformed Kingston and the rest of Jamaica into a musical showcase of talents. These harmonies would carry on the vibrations of instruments from saxophone to drum and bass throughout the 1950s.

As we approached the early 60s, the music started to evolve into a more dominant sound filled with heavy bass lines. Dodd (Studio One) and Reid (Treasure Isle) were still popular producers who witnessed how Mento slowly gave way to a more up-tempo style known as SKA. Clancy Eccles(singer/producer/promoter), Lorenzo “Laurel” Aitken(singer) and Theophilus Beckford(Jamaican pianist) and Byron Lee(Dragonaires/producer/entrepreneur) were some of the pioneers who helped transitioned SKA into the mainstream and played an important role into the development Jamaican music. Byron Lee was a professional footballer for the Jamaica National Team and an avid businessman who introduced Jamaican music to the electric bass guitar. His band(The Dragonaires) are featured in the first James bond film(Dr. No). The former head of distribution for Atlantic records in Jamaica purchased West Indies Records Limited (WIRL) from the late Prime Minister Edward Seaga and renamed it Dynamic Sounds. Mr. Lee is the force behind the popularity of carnival, Calypso & Soca in Jamaica and around the world. He is still recognized internationally for his contributions in music. Clancy Eccles was the first artist to engage politics and social consciousness in his recordings. His song “Freedom” was done in 1959 for Dodd and became a hit in 1961. The song was used by Alexander Bustamante (JLP) and became the first Jamaican hit to be used for political purposes. Eccles would later become a talent scout for Reggae and a supporter of the PNP party and Michael Manley.  Beckford recorded the Ska song “Easy Snappin,” in 1959 after being influenced by American Roscoe Gordon, Fats Domino and Patti Page. Though he was working with Dodd at the time of recording, Beckford failed to capitalize on the influence of the song. Nonetheless, his failure became the success of sound system operator Cecil Campbell aka “Prince Buster”. Since Dodd and Reid were rivals, Buster was hired by Dodd to get the upper hand. Buster helped produced “Oh Carolina” by the trio (Folkes Brothers) and Count Ossie. The song became a signature hit and gained international attention. The single would become a remake smash hit for Shaggy in 1993. The Ska movement captured the world by storm as Jamaica was in line to gain Independence status from Britain. Many artists and bands like Millie Smalls, The Skatalites (Tommy McCook, Don Drummond & Rolando Alphonso), and Toots & the Maytals, were popular names on the international scene both in England and the USA.  Smalls 1964 smash hit single “My Boy Lollipop” (a Barbie Gaye remake), became the first international Ska song and topped the charts both in England and the USA at #2 respectively. Nonetheless, the real superstar of the era was Desmond “Dekker” Dacres of The Aces. He developed the “rude boy” style and “Israelites” became the first #1 song on the British reggae chart. This gave Dekker the stamp of approval of being the first major International reggae artist.  

Though Jamaica was an independent nation, many artists got fame abroad from their music catalog thanks to support from British fans. England began boasting with the popularity of Reggae from Third World/World Enterprise Records (later Super Power), Island Records and Lloydie Coxsone. Chris Blackwell from Island Records took advantage of this opportunity and became a major distributor for reggae music in England. With Jamaica still battling various social problems, artists often uttered such feelings in their lyrics. The late 60’s suddenly saw Ska receding to a slower style of music called Rock Steady. Dodd, Reid, Sonia Pottinger and other producers took the reins and produced multiple bands and artists such as, Dawn Penn, Alton & Hortense Ellis, John Holt & the Paragons, Phyllis Dillon, Melodians, Heptones, Larry Marshall, Jimmy Cliff, The Wailers, Toots and many more. With the brilliance of American artist Johnny Nash crossing into the reggae market, we witnessed the influx of American remakes. Thanks to Rudolph Redwood, record labels started creating instrumentals/dubs on the reverse side of singles. Such invention called for more studio engineers and Duke Reid quickly capitalized on the idea. This enabled more artists to study riddims and better hone their musical craft. The era continued with utterance of social issues fueled with self love, religion, politics and pride. These philosophies became the voice of the oppressed and produced a high wave of artists who adopted the Rastafarian culture. A time when artists found a righteous way to be rebellious while adopting and promoting Pan Africanism (the philosophy of Marcus Garvey) and  the teachings of Haile Selassie I. Recording engineer King Tubby and producer Lee “scratch” Perry gave birth to the “Dub movement (instrumentals without vocals). The Wailers, Burning Spear, Jimmy Cliff, U-Roy, I-Roy, The I-Threes, Black Uhuru, Inner Circle, Dennis Al Capone, Culture, Big Youth, Prince Jazzbo, Agustus Pablo and others became major household names in the 70’s. These producers and entertainers helped revolutionized such a movement in England.

Rock Steady started transforming to Reggae as we know it today, thanks to the masterminds of Jackie Mittoo, Winston Wright, King Tubby, Agustus Pablo, Lee Scratch Perry, Sly & Robbie and others. It was Clancy Eccles who was credited for creating “Reggae” from the word “Streggae”(loose woman). The popularity grew when Toots Hibbert and Leslie Kong penned and produced “Do the Raggay” in 1968. The word quickly transitioned into “Reggae” and stayed.  We saw social issues being voiced with the rise of conscious ballads fueled with love for family, religion spirituality and humanity. In 1972, reggae music gained more popularity on the international scale after Jimmy Cliff hit single lead to the release of a movie called “The Harder They Come”. Filled with a powerful socio-political storyline and a rude boy attitude, the soundtrack took the genre mainstream. The sudden international interest in the music helped paved the way for some of reggae’s biggest superstars like Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe, John Holt, Gregory Isaacs, Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths to become worldwide legends. Today reggae music has spurred the innovation of a whole new range of musical styles, like modern Jamaican Dub, jazz, calypso, African rhythms, bass and drums and has been infused into many other popular genres. Yet still one can find bands in every corner of the world playing that authentic, roots reggae sound like it was when it started out in Jamaica over 50 years ago. Dennis Bovell was an engineer who played a major role in transforming the dub revolution. Poets like Mutabaruka and Linton Kewsi Johnson dominated the musical scene with their crafty lyrics, teaching the masses