A Brief History of Reggae

Having seen so many threads and posts on Reggae, I thought I would post an article I wrote for my own website for your interest and comment... hopefully for those not into reggae, it will open a world of possibilities. For those new to Reggae it will inform and identify some new artists to look at...

Most of all, for those that take the time to read it, I hope you enjoy it...


A BRIEF HISTORY OF REGGAE - InspiredFunk

Jamaica is considered the home of Reggae, developing the unique musical fom, beginning with Ska, through Rock Steady and into the many forms of Reggae in existence today (Reggae, Roots Reggae, Dub, Toasting, Lovers Rock, Dancehall, Ragga, Reggaeton and Cultural).

In the Beginning....

Tracing back the roots of reggae, as a musical form, means travelling back to Jamaica in the 1940's, when, as a British Colony, it was exposed to America's major contribution to World Music, Jazz. Following the extensive radio-play of Jazz bands from the US; local bands began to spring up across Jamaica, imitating their American counter-parts for the entertainment of the tourists.

In the early 1950's, the orchestral sound of Jazz was being replaced, globally, with a new sound created by a younger generation. Artists such as Ray Charles in the US, began experimenting with fusion sounds of soul and gospel, and the youth became more wrapped up in a musical revolution. In Jamaica, this was expressed by the new fashion for "Dances" - open air events where the latest sounds would be played over a "sound systems" - almost a fore-runner to the mobile disco. For many Jamaican's these dances represented the only way to hear the latest sounds, and these events formed communities based on music, inclusive even of those who could not afford a radio.

By the middle of the 1950's, two "Sound Systems" dominated Island Music - Trojan, led by the legendary Duke Reid, an ex-policeman, well-known for carrying two guns with him at all times, and Sir Coxsone Downbeat (named after a Yorkshire cricketer), led by Clement Dodd (considered to be the man who truly began Bob Marley's illustrious career by moving him to lead vocalist for the Wailers).

However, in the mid-50's, these sound systems were restricted to playing predominanly American music as no recording facilities existed on the Island at that time.

Rivallry between the two Sound Systems was fierce, with the owners having to travel, or appoint agents, to ensure that they had the latest and greatest tunes available. This fierce competitive nature was to be a key component in the rapid accelleration of musical development on the Island, as well as leading to a number of violent clashes in the later years. They had many a "Battle of the sound Systems" and towards the end of the fifties Duke Reid the Trojan was crowned king.

In order to survive, it was clear that the Jamaican music scene need to evolve from local live bands playing copied American Jazz, local traditional mento music, and the Sound Systems playing American music. This began in 1954 when the first Jamaican record label opened for business. Federal records, however, was still focused on the reproduction and licensing of American music, and whilst this provided more choice and reduced expense for Sound System owners, it still did not meet the demands of local music industry growth.

It would not be until 1958 that local artists would get an opportunity for exposure. Edward Seaga, who went on to become the Prime Minister of Jamaica), founded the WIRL label (West Indian Records Limited), focused on recording and releasing music by local artists.

At this stage, however, the local artist recordings (often blatant imitations of American sounds), were still being shipped out of the country for pressing, so music was still only available to the masses through the Sound Systems. At the end of the 1950's, the first pressing plant was built on the Island (Caribbean Records), and with new studios (such as Clement Dodd's "Studio One" and Duke Reids "Treasure Isle"), the Jamaican recording industry was ready for a global assault.

Next - A Ska Is Born.... >

A Ska is Born

The origins of Ska are often contested, with many artists claiming credit. Generally, however, it is accepted that Cecil Campbell (better known as Prince Buster), is the father of Ska. Prince Buster gained his name before his musical career. As an eager boxer (who won a good number of his fights), the nickname "Prince" came about as a result of his work as security for the Downbeat sound system owned by Clement Dodd. He would later begin to "DJ" for Dodd, representing the Downbeat Sound System in a number of "Battle of the Sound System" events.

Prince Buster had worked with Clement Dodd, but come 1960, recognising the opportunities opened by Caribbean Records and the other Island changes, he split from Dodd and created his own "Supertown" Sound System.

Prince Buster, through his "Wild Bells" label, began to experiment with new sounds, merging the traditional Mento music with the R&B sounds coming out of America. "When I started recording this music I had to talk the musicians into playing it. At first, the radio stations wouldn't play it and the other sound system owners laughed at it. But the people loved it", said Buster in an interview.

Tracks such as "Shake a Leg" brought a new musical style with the emphasis on the afterbeat. The guitarist Jah Jerry Hinds (who went on to be a key member of the Abyssinians), is credited with being one of the first musicians to give afterbeat syncopation on the guitar, bringing a unique (but soon imitated) sound to Prince Buster.

The name "Ska" is credited to Bassist Cluett Johnson, who apparantly used the made-up work "Skavoovie" to describe people - soon it was being used to describe those who loved this new style of music, and inevitably it was shorterned and "Ska" was born.

This homegrown music grew rapidly in popularity, not only because of its sound and rhythm, but also because it was being created out of the working classes and reflected the mood of the people. The fierce competition between the Sound Systems caused a rapid growth of this musican phenomenon as other Sound System owners realised they needed to create thei own Ska music and groups to be able to compete with Prince Buster.

New faces appeared on the scene rapidly, in terms of artists, Sound Systems and labels. A Chinese-Jamaican by the name of Leslie Kong, spotten the potential of the record business, and when he was approached by Derrick Morgan and a young singer by the name of Jimmy Chambers, who had a number of songs already prepared, he used some of the money made in his resteraunt "Beverly's" to establish the Berverly's label and record a number of their tracks including "Be Still" and "King of Kings", and release them, changing Jimmy Chambers into Jimmy Cliff. Derrick Morgan, who had formerly worked for Prince Buster, defected full time over to Beverly's, and this was to create one of the greatest rivalries in the history of Reggae, and further stimulated the growth of this musical phenomenon.

Remembering his time with Beverly's, Morgan says, "I stuck with Beverley's for a while because Beverley's paid better than the rest. Then in '62, when Jamaica got independence I made this song called 'Forward March'. Prince Buster heard the song and said that part of it came off his song called 'They Got To Come' and he said I was taking his belonging to the Chinaman. Then he and I stated a musical war - it was 'Blackhead Chine' and 'Blazing Fire' time. We were stepping right up the line and he and I kept on doing it right on and on and creating a lot of history in Jamaica. People were fighting over the both of us - some said Buster was better, some said Derrick was better. It caused such a big thing that the government had to come in and stop us. We had to go in the paper and hug up and say that we were the best of friends and so on and stop the dispute." (source: trojanrecords.net)

Derrick Morgan made his debut as a performer back in 1959, at the very dawn of the Jamaican recording industry. After cutting his first recordings for Duke Reid, he went on to record a string of best-selling singles for a variety of producers (at one point holding 7 of the top ten tunes) and throughout the Ska era was widely acknowledged as the island's most popular vocalist. Even as bands such as "The Maytals" and "The Wailers" came onto the scene, Morgan continued to dominate.

Next ... Ska moves off the Island

Ska moves off the Island

The sound system business on the Island became highly profitable, and the clashes around the Sound Systems became more intense, and sometimes violent. By the mid 1960's, Clement Dodd owned 4 of the major Sound Systems on the island, and the popularity of the "Dances" increased the demand for more sounds and new bands.

A young man by the name of Robert Nesta Marly, as part of the Wailers, joined with Peter Tosh, recording for Dodd at Studio One Records. The Skalites launched in 1964, and combined, these two groups established a sound which was to gain (almost) global recognition in a very short space of time.


The Skatalites (Baba Brooks , Don Drummond , Jackie Mittoo , Jah Jerry , Johnny "Dizzy" Moore , Karl Bryan , Lester Sterling , Lloyd Brevett , Lloyd Knibbs , Lyn Taitt , Roland Alphonso , Ska Campbell , Tommy McCook), were only able to keep their inital line-up for around 18 months (Don Drummond was arrested on New Years Eve 1965, accused of murdering his girl friend Marguerita - he died in Bellevue, a mental institution in 1969.), but the high quality of the musicians and their combined individual styles were to be a force stimulating many imitators and new artists through the following decades.

On a global level, Ska was not yet widely accepted. To try and promote Ska into the UK, the Jamaican Government sent Jimmy Cliff, Prince Buster and band leader Byron Lee to the World's Fair in 1964 - including not only musical demonstrations, but also lessons in dancing "the shuffle". However, this attempt to break into the American market was to fail as the American public was focused on their own musical revolution as artists such as Ray Charles pushed the boundaries and fused Soul and Gospel, taking R&B sounds in a whole new direction.

In the UK, particularly England, however, a whole generation of youth was finding Ska. Since 1948, when England opened its doors to Colony members (as a measure to rectify the labour shortfall), many people gravited to the UK from Jamaica on the promise of better earnings and opportunities (of course, not being informed of the actual cost of living), bringing with them their musical and cultural heritage. By 1956, the first "Dances", often entitled "Blues Nights", were happenning, generally focused on the Jamaican community in the UK, but these were to dramatically increase in general popularity in the early 60's. By 1963 there were three labels releasing Jamaican music into the UK (including Blue Beat and Island). Jamaican artists began to see that the earnings potential in the UK was higher than on the Island, and this stimulated music releases, and even music tours by Jamaican artists in the UK.

There were definite parallels between the exported Island culture and the youth culture in the UK. The Mod scene, which had focused predominanly on the soul music of the 60's, became enamoured with the Ska music scene, not only because of the parallels in terms of "working class" music, but also because of fashion parallels between the Mods and the "Rude Boys" of Ska - good quality clothes, suits and hats.

The term "Rude Boy" was originally applied to the youth of Jamaica who came to cities such as Kingston in search of wealth and opportunity, but instead found social inequality, many ending up in the ghettos of Trenchtown and Riverton City - often turning to crime.

Soon this segregated further (mirroring in many ways what was happening in the Mod scene in the UK), as gangs evolved, volient clashes between rival gangs and against authorities began, and some gangs even working for armed political groups. Gang members were "cool", with slick fashion and their own musical identity - often dancingto Ska records at half-paced in a more relaxed manner. The music was soon to change to reflect this style - "Rock Steady" was born.

Next ... Rock Steady

Rock Steady

By 1966, Ska had been around for almost a decade. Lyrically the music had grown, becoming more sophisticated, often reflecting real world issues, but technically, the style was in desperate need of re-invention.

The Rude Boys were dancing in a different way in the Dance Halls, and this was popular with other attendees, particularly as 1966/7 saw particularly hot summers, and even seasoned Ska dancers found themselves slowing down.

Hopeton Lewis was in the recording studio recording "Take it Easy" for Duke Reids Treasure Isle label. He found the Ska rhythm too fast, and asked the band to slow down. When the track was laid down, and they listened to it back, someone is rumoured to have said, "that Rock Steady, man, that's rockin' steady" - and the term "Rock Steady" was born.

"Take it Easy" sold 10,000 copies in one weekend, and almost immediately Duke Reid became the new dominating force in Jamaican music, taking this new style and toppling Coxsone Dodd and Studio One from their Ska-led lead.

Prince Buster, however, was not as easly to sideline. He had experience considerable success through the Ska era, but come Rock Steady, and he launched "Judge Dread" on the world, massively successful in Jamaica and in the UK, with its Rude Boy lyrics spawning many imitators and innovators.

Rock Steady was a success in the UK, and with it interest in Ska also increased. Trojan records released much of their Jamaican catalogue on budget priced "Trojan Tighten Up" complications - bringing volumes of their licensed Jamaican sound into an affordable price bracket, making them popular and spawning futher interest in the musical form.

The Ska revival in the UK was also stimulated by the evolution of some groups of Mods into Skinheads. This new group lapped up Ska and Rock Steady, even giving it the term "skinhead reggae".

In 1967 the Ska / Rock Steady music scene in the UK was dominated by one name - Desmond Dekker (Desmond Dacres). His first real hit, following shortly after the Prince Buster release of "Judge Dread", was "007 (Shanty Town)" which went to number 12 in the UK, and enabled Dekker to have a string of hits, culminating with "Isrealites", which reached number one in the UK, Canada, Sweden, West Germany, Holland and South Africa - it even broke into the US charts, reaching number nine.



Dekker's hits did not follow one style. He continued with his "Rude Boy" style developed for "007" in tunes such as "Rude Boy Train" and "Rudie Got Soul". In addition, he continued to lay down songs related to his earlier, lesser known career, following themes of religion and morality in songs like "It's a Shame", "Wise Man", "Hey Grandma", "Unity", "It Pays", "Mother's Young Girl" and "Sabotage". His "Pretty Africa" is a long-standing favorite among his fans, and may be the earliest popular song promoting repatriation, a theme which would become core to Reggae over the following years. Dekker toured the UK on a number of occasions, and had, not only ex-patriot Jamaicans in his audience, but also a large following of Mods.

The time for Rock Steady was limited however, and by 1967 the musical innovators were looking to evolve the style again. Bunny Lee, the producer, created a new sound using both organ and rhythm guitar to emphasise the off-beat. Derrik Morgan commented when describing the sound, "It sounded like 'reggae, reggae, reggae', and that name just took off. Bunny lee started using the word and soon all the musicians were saying 'reggae, reggae, reggae'". The first record to bear the name was "Do the Reggay", released by the Maytals in 1968. The music was a little tighter and more complex that it's forerunners (Ska and Rock Steady), and with it came a new set of heros and pioneers, the most famous being Lee Perry, Bunny Lee and engineer Osborne Ruddock (better known as King Tubby), who became the force behind the new "Reggae" movement.


Each of them had a pedigree background. Lee Perry had worked for Coxsone Dodd, supervising production work and helping in the creative process. Home Town Hi-fi was the Sound System owned by Ruddock, who had also worked for Duke Reid - his own unique style included home made gadgets which introduced echo and sound effects.

Next ..... Toast Anyone?

Toast Anyone?

Lee Perry was the first of the new breed to have success - in his case also as the recording artist. In 1968 he released "People Funny Boy" - a dig at his previous compatriate Coxsone Dodd. It sold well, and by 1969 gave Perry the opportunity to 4establish his own label, Upsetter Records, and establish is own house band which included two brothers, Carlton and Aston (Familyman) Barrett as the rhythm section.

Perry recognised, however, that success would be dependant on being able to attract the right artists to his label. The Wailers had some success working with Coxsone Dodd, but the relationship had deteriorated - in particular Dodd's relationships with the volatile (and sometimes violent) Peter Tosh and Rastaman Bunny Wailer were strained, and he visibily kept his distance from them, preferring instead to befriend Bob Marley. The net result was that the Wailers temporarily split up, and in 1966, Marley moved to the US (Delaware), where he worked on a car production line for Chrysler. Eventually he would lose this job, and not qualifying for welfare as well as receiving a draft to go to Vietnam, Bob Marley returned to Jamaica.

In 1967 the Wailers were to try again, forming their own label, Wailin' Soul. However this was doomed to failure as all three of the founders ended up in prison. Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley were improsonned for the possession of marijuana, and Tosh for an obstruction offense during a demonstration against the regime in Zimbabwe (then Rodesia), and even after their release, the reputation and rebellious attitude of the Wailers made them unnattractive to the established and larger labels. The Tuff Gong label enabled them to make a living, but did not promise any global exposure, and lacked the marketing capability to bring reggae into the mainstream.

Lee Perry was able to attract the Wailers to his label, and whilst he was unable to obtain chart success with the band, he established a partnership between the Wailers and the Barrett brothers, and eventually, Aston Barrett was to become the Wailer's arranger. However, the Wailers were not destined for great success until they left the Upsetters label, and moved to Chris Blackwell's Island label (even though Peter Tosh once threatened Blackwell with a machete), taking the Barret brothers with them. With Bob Marley & The Wailers, Familyman went on to be recorded on every Island Records' album, touring the world dozens of times over, performing other duties besides bass, including acting as the band's musical director and helping to mix and produce several albums.

In the UK, the reggae scene continued to grow. From 1970 to 1975, Trojan Records were able to rack up some 23 Top 30 hits, proving that Reggae had a market outside of the Caribbean. Chris Blackwells Island Label also experience some real success. Whilst Island had begun to explore some more rock styles of music, one artist, Jimmy Cliff, remained on the books, and between 1967 and 1971 he racked up a number of hits including "Many Rivers to Cross", "Wild World" and "Wonderful World, Beautiful People".


However, in 1972, Jimmy Cliff was to turn away from music to acting, starring in the movie "The Harder the Come" - a gritty movie about the life of a Rude Boy in Kingston, Jamaica, and featuring a hard-hitting soundtrack of gritty Jamaican reggae.

Whilst all this was going on, King Tubby was looking in another direction. His work as a producer, combined with his homemade echo-chambers and sound effects, led him to begin to experiment with the acetates - also known as dub-plates. Tubby found that by manipulating and editing them, he could create alternate 'versions', ideal for the purposes of a particular young man who had been working with Tubby for some time. Ewart Beckford had been working with Tubby on the Sound Systems - rapping or talking over instrumental breaks and tracks. This style of rapping or "toasting", was developed even further by Tubby and Ewart Beckford, who by now had taken the name "U-Roy", and the combination of U-Roy's toasting and Tubby's effects and production skills (always focused on Bass and Rhythm), would lead to a new style of Reggae, launched in the track "Wake the Town", recorded at Duke Reid's studio.

U-Roy became the most political of all Toasters, and the dominating force for the first half of the 1970's. Even his deeply political tracks, such as "Sufferer's Psalm" released in 1974, would sell 27,000 copies in the Caribbean alone.

Next.... The Harder the Come and Marley breaks through

The Harder the Come and Marley breaks through

"I'd rather be a free man in my grave / than living as a puppet or a slave / so as sure as the sun will shine / I'm gonna get my share of what's mine" - Ivan (Jimmy Cliff)

Writer and movie maker Perry Henzell, prepared the script for the movie intending (and ultimately succeeding), to ensure that the ghettoes and the environment were portrayed in as realistic way as possible. Originally to be part of a Trilogy, The Harder They Come was the only movie to be completed, Henzell walking away from the trilogy project when footage for the second movie (Power Game) was lost. The Harder They Come was produced in fits and starts, made over a period of time when and if Henzell could scrounge up enough money to make it happen. Other times, the production was held up when players (many of them non-actors) disappeared for weeks or got arrested.

Released in 1972, and accompanied by a soundtrack released by Island records, "The Harder the Come" brought the gritty life of a Rude Boy in Jamaica to global attention. The movie was hard-hitting, made no attempt to make the deep Jamaican accents more understandable, and the soundtrack, rather than being filled with the pop-reggae and ska dominating the charts, contained some gritty hard Rude Boy anthems. Six of the twelve tracks on the soundtrack were recorded by Jimmy Cliff, who also starred in the movie, but other tracks included "007 (Shanty Town)" from Desmond Dekker, and the greatest of all Rude Boy anthems, "Johnny Too Bad" by the Slickers.

The movie was a limited success, but gave Jamaica and Reggae global exposure.

Now reggae and the small Caribbean island had put a foot on the world stage, but it needed a recognisable character to bring together the music, the style and the spirituality and present it in a packaged form that would appeal to the hardcore and new listener alike.

Once again, step forward Robert Nesta Marley. In 1972 the Wailers, with the Barrett brothers now part of the band, moved to England to work for Johnny Nash and his marketing expert Brent Clarke. After very limited success, Brent moved to Island Records, giving Blackwell a demo tape of Marley and the Wailers. Blackwell, now desperate to replace Jimmy Cliff recognised the potential. Clarke financed the recording in Jamaica (Dynamic Studios in Kingston), and after some post production additions from guitarist Al Perkins and keyboard player Rabbit Bundrick, finally "Catch a Fire" was ready for release.

However, behind the scenes there were turbulent times as Blackwell began to push Bob into the role of Band Leader, and objections from Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer resulted in contracts and agreements not being signed (Tosh famously pulling a machete on Blackwell). The promotion of "Catch a Fire" did not make international stars of the Wailers.

However, later the same year, a white artist covered Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" - Eric Claptons version gained worldwide acclaim, and reggae hit the world with full force.


Note from the Author: I hope you enjoyed this as a read, and hope that it has inspired you to listen to more, find more and hear more reggae and concious music.... Peace! InspiredFunk

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