What are the musical origins of reggae?

Answer 1

Reggae

Reggae, genre of contemporary Caribbean music developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s, one of the most influential styles of world popular music . The style, often associated with political protest, combined elements of Jamaican Folk Music with American rhythm-and-Blues Music (R&B). The term reggae is of uncertain origin, but may come from the Jamaican word for "ragged man" or common person.

Reggae has its roots in Jamaican musical styles such as mento, ska, and rock steady. The origins can be traced to the 1940s and the emergence of mento, a hybrid folk-song genre that combines African-related folk music traditions with calypso, the national music of Trinidad. Mento features rhythmic, syncopated guitar strumming and lively, topical lyrics. In the 1950s Jamaican musicians began to experiment with drum and bass patterns, inspired by the R&B broadcast by radio stations in the United States. By the 1960s R&B and mento had fused into an upbeat style of dance music known as ska. Influenced by American jazz, ska was predominantly instrumental. Rhythmically it stressed the second and fourth beats of a measure. One of the most prominent ska groups was the Skatalites, who were led by trombonist Don Drummond. Ska was popularized in the communities by sound systems, vans equipped with record turntables that traveled the slums of the Jamaican capital of Kingston, playing the latest hit recordings.

By the mid-1960s a mellower version of ska, known as rock steady, became the more popular form. In contrast to ska, the sparse, slower rhythms of rock steady allowed the vocalist to play a greater role. This encouraged the formation of a number of Jamaican pop vocal groups. Rock steady also put more emphasis on the bass lines, and its song lyrics reflected a growing awareness of injustice. Soon rock steady was combined with traditional mento rhythms to produce reggae music. "Do the Reggay" (1968) by Toots and the Maytals was one of the earliest appearances of the term in a song. Reggae inverted traditional Rock Music by allowing the guitar to handle much of the rhythmic emphasis, often playing chords on the off beat while the bass laid down melodic patterns. Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff became the first reggae performer to achieve international popularity, largely because of his lead role in the motion picture The Harder They Come (1973), for which he also performed the title song. The film featured a powerful reggae soundtrack.

Bob Marley, one of the most prolific and influential reggae artists, was the next to rise to international popularity, and he eventually became reggae's biggest star. The Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist combined soulful melodies with strident lyrics that were informed by the Biblical mysticism and Afro-Caribbean awareness of the Rastafarian religion. During the 1970s, Marley and many other Jamaican musicians sang about black unification and liberation while advocating the smoking of ganja (marijuana) as a religious sacrament. Marley and prominent members of his band the Wailers, such as Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, openly embraced the "rebel" image that their music acquired over time. Marley gained mainstream recognition with his 1975 album Natty Dread. By the time of his death from cancer in 1981, Marley and the Wailers had won worldwide respect for their highly melodic, spiritually moving, and politically militant pop songs.

Source: Encarta Encylopedia

.....That's not to mention Blue Beat!

Answer 2

The musical style known as reggae originated in Jamaica. It came about ion the late 1960s with a fusion of ska and rocksteady. The first reggae song is considered to be Nanny Goat by Larry Marshall.

Answer 3

jamaica