Jamaican Music
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Where did Jamaican music come from?...somebody ask me the other day.
I stopped, thought about it and replied, "you know what? I really have never thought about it, but that's an good question."
I didn't tell the person, but from that moment on, I could not rest 'til I found out.
So, I went searching...
Reggae music start from way back! Just like a baby it went through the creeping stages...from mento, to ska, to rocksteady, to what we now call reggae...
What is Mento?
Mento is nothing more than "old time" Jamaican music telling a story in a song. It has African rhythm, latin rhythm, and anglo folksongs all mixed up together. It became very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.
If you ever visit the island and see mento singers in action, you may find them playing instruments like, a gourd shaker, a upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, ukulele, or a trumpet.
...and you may even find yourself "moving to the beat."
If you look at the video, you will see the men playing a banjo, guitar, and the "rumba box (a large, bass thumb piano, played by sitting on the box and striking its metal
"flappers" with the thumb)." Those are not the only instrument used, but they are the most popular.
What about Ska?
Ska is just mento music moving to the next stage.
As Jamaican musicians played more and more, they began to try new things with the music.
The more they did, the more the music changed. They began to add a little calypso, American jazz, and rhythm & blues here and before you know it, ska popped out! This took the 1960's by storm.
But Jamaican music would not stop there. The "rude boys" of the 1960s wanted something more slower to rock to. Something that would portray more of their image.
So, they slow the ska pace little by little not realizing that they were changing the music again.
Rocksteady
As the slowing continued, rocksteady was born.
This happened around 1966 as the slower more relaxed tempo with a heavier bass became more pronounced.
This "new" kind of music added the walking bass know as skank.
That's when Alton Ellis released his single with the rocksteady beat and the new name took hold.
You can listen to the beat in the video below.
Reggae
Once again, the slowing of the beat continued as if in search for something better.
By 1968, musicians began to add more rhythmic effects to the music and this finally resulted in reggae music.
As for the reggae lyrics itself, its sources are widespread on the island.
Some of it come from religion, some from love, others from sexuality, peace, relationships, poverty, and injustice.
Enter Bob Marley and the Wailers
Bob Marley and the original wailers (Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer) started out their music career playing rocksteady.
As time went on, they slowly changed the rhythm and gave the up and coming Jamaican music another sound.
When they finally got their big recording break in the United states in the "70s, they were well on their way to making a name for themselves in the industry.
Nobody really took it seriously. Every now and then when a good song came out, the artist was paid a one time fee for the record and no royalty.
so...as expected reggae artists were poor in those days.
Finally in the early 1970s, Island Records signed the wailers in Great Britain and they began making royalty.
This was the kick start the industry needed. Bob and the wailers would go on to record many hit songs...while making a decent living.
Reggae music went on to be a popular hit on the island and around the world.
By the time Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981, his music had taken to the American mainstream and his name was cemented as a reggae music icon.
Many other artists would later come on the scene to make a name for themselves.
Reggae Music Today
Today reggae music is recognized in terms of styles.
Three of the most popular styles are roots, - rastafarian style, dance-hall - variety of faster reggae beats with occasional vocals that listeners can dance to and DJs can toast over, and dub - a mixture of different beats without the vocals giving DJs a unique rhythm to "toast" over (similar to rap).
see an example in the video:
These latest styles are now entertainment tools for master reggae artists such as Sizzla, Shabba ranks, elephant man, vybz Kartel, Buju Banton, and Sean Paul-in video...just to name a few...
Jamaican music has come a long way...and it continues to evolve as we speak.
Where will it go in next? No question...in the direction of the most creative reggae artist(s).
What Is Your Favorite Jamaican Music?
Is it reggae, lovers rock, dance hall...? Whatever it is we would love to hear about it!
Favorite Jamaican Music!
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
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