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?
Inspiration Reviewed by Inspiration on . 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 Rating: 5