This article presents Jamaican music on a broad period of 20 years between the early ’60s and the 80s from ska to reggae, not leaving out rocksteady.  Whether you are already fond of Jamaican music or just a novice, this article is the opportunity to learn something new.

When talking about Jamaican music, reggae springs to the mind almost immediately. However, it is an error to think the music palette of Jamaica is limited to this only genre. Jamaica’s music culture, as most of the areas of the land, is an illustration of the historical heritage. This led to a diversity of music trends and inspired the on pop music.

The oldest music genre can be identified in the sound systems. It is a legitimate part of any respectable description of Jamaican music varieties. They are a kind of disco-mobiles that have been playing popular music in the streets of Kingston right before its independence. They made room to the expression of artists as Duke Ellington or Fats Domino before serving as a platform for music rejected by the local radio stations.  According to the desires of the present audience, in a perpetual war of territory between them, sound systems allowed the emergence of ska in 1962, then buried it in 1966 for the benefit of rocksteady. The same goes for reggae in 1968 and all its subgenres until today.

The two most important were Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s downbeat and Duke Reid’s trojan. These two key players in Jamaican music were the main producers in the 1960s (creating Studio One and Treasure Isle respectively). There would be much to say on the subject and the reader is strongly encouraged to delve into the first chapters of Lloyd Bradley’s Bass Culture, the best book on Jamaican music.  The three major Jamaican music genres are ska, rocksteady, and reggae. While the first two did not survive the 1960s, reggae has held and remains a very popular music today in its many forms and “subgenres” (early reggae, roots, dub, digital, deejaying, dancehall…). Jamaican music has fascinated the world from Curtis Mayfield and Willie Nelson among the Yankees, the Beatles to Mick Jagger in England, and of course, Gainsbourg.

It is well known that much is owed to a U-Roy (DJ in the Jamaican sense and grandfather of all rappers) and a Lee “Scratch” Perry (producer and sound engineer, genius dub hacker).

There are three main inspiring figures in the industry.

Paul Bogle, who was the first black hero, killed in 1865. The story is well known amongst the Jamaican community. The rebellion he led by is recounted in a famous song titled 1865 (96 degrees in the shade) by the group Third World.

Marcus Garvey, who lived at the beginning of the 20th century, was one of the greatest advocates for the black cause in the USA. His actions can be compared to those of Malcolm X or Martin Luther King. He was one of the founders of the Rastafarian movement which originated in the years 1930. He serves as an inspiration to numerous songs until today.

Robert « Bob » Nesta Marley – a famous musician. Born protestant, he lived as a Rastafarian and claimed his religious beliefs in many of his songs. When Emperor Selassie was murdered, Marley sang Jah live saying, “rasta, your god is dead.” In his late days, he was baptized to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, under the baptismal name of Behrane Selassie, Light of the Trinity.