Reggae music has long been an expression of Jamaican life and culture. Its lyrical content often highlights Rastafarian spirituality and social injustice; over time many subgenres such as Dub and Dancehall have developed.
Reggae music has made global waves by popularizing dreadlocks and Rastafari clothing into fashion trends worldwide. Its rhythmic sound even had an influence on American musical genres as well as popular phrases like “irie” and “rastafari.” But how did reggae begin?
Ska
Ska music emerged during the late 1950s and early 1960s as an precursor to reggae music, merging elements of Caribbean mento, calypso and African musical traditions with American rhythm and blues radio broadcasts. Jamaica’s close proximity to America made this form of musical expression easy for local musicians who could listen in on these radio broadcasts easily; thus facilitating its popularity with artists like Prince Buster, Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid establishing sound systems.
Jamaican musicians developed rocksteady during the mid-1960s as they sought to slow down the energetic rhythms of ska to create something more relaxed, romantic and soothing – eventually giving rise to songs such as Hopeton Lewis’ hit “Take It Easy.” Ska and rocksteady eventually gave way to reggae which featured syncopated rhythms and vocal harmony.
Jamaica’s Rastafarian movement gave rise to reggae’s spiritual consciousness and themes of resistance and liberation, which the music also addressed pressing social issues such as poverty, inequality and human rights. Artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers made reggae more than just music style – it became a global movement symbolizing resilience.
Reggae was formed from all the influences present in earlier styles that came before it. Ska’s distinctive beat, bass lines with rhythmic accents on every offbeat, and horns were still prominent elements, yet vocal harmony helped set reggae apart from other genres. Reggae riddims (rhythms) evolved from “one drop” style drumming mastered by drummer Carleton Barrett of Nyahbinghi drumming tradition, to rockers (using bass drum beats every downbeat), then finally “steppers”.
Reggae music can often be described as heavy, with loud and technical guitar tones. While contemporary rock typically relies on distortion to produce its sound, reggae’s bass lines tend to be melodic with syncopated beats accentuating offbeats for its signature “heat beat.”
Reggae music has long transcended its creators. Some tracks and albums, like Bob Marley’s “Legend” or The Wailers’s “True Democracy,” have become emblematic of its genre as an entire entity.
Rocksteady
In the late 1950s, Jamaican music underwent a dramatic evolution with Rocksteady, an earlier form of Reggae that marked a slowing in tempo and tighter rhythms that put emphasis on each bar’s second and fourth beats rather than walking bass lines of ska. Rocksteady pioneers included Jimmy Cliff, Toots & the Maytals and The Heptones who explored themes of love, cultural unity and resistance against oppression through their music.
Rocksteady emerged during a time of profound social transformations in Jamaica. Independence began to lose its glow, while Kingston’s lower class population began moving further and further from independence. Due to food, housing, and employment shortages, an underground culture called rude boys emerged; some songs from this era celebrated their rebellion while others condemned their lifestyle or warned others away from becoming involved.
Rocksteady drumming utilized the “one drop” style, with heavy emphasis placed on the second and fourth beats of each bar; this differed significantly from Rhythm and Blues drumming which placed greater weight on the first beat. Rocksteady was similarly influenced by Latin music as its rhythm featured prominent bass drum beats.
Rastafarian influences were present during the rocksteady era, giving reggae spiritual and anti-establishment themes, with calls for social transformation and political consciousness that appealed to young people both locally and abroad.
Bob Marley’s rise was the cornerstone of reggae’s international success and set in motion its global appeal, featuring themes like love, cultural unity and resistance against oppression that resonated with audiences worldwide. Reggae became popular during British social movements against racial discrimination while fueling anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa with songs like Bob Marley’s “War.” Furthermore it gave Australian indigenous populations a voice through music.
Lover’s Rock
At Jamaica during the late 1960s and 1970s, lover’s rock emerged as a soulful romantic genre known as lover’s rock. Showcasing the softer side of reggae music with romantic themes and messages of peace and love, it fused elements from American R&B with reggae rhythms to produce unique tracks such as lover’s rock that introduced reggae music to an entirely new audience. Lover’s rock became the first time many non-Jamaica listeners heard reggae music as many non-Jamaicaans first experienced reggae music for themselves – thus opening up new audiences to reggae music itself.
Ska led to another subgenre known as rocksteady, which featured slower rhythms and romantic lyrics. There are various theories as to why Jamaican musicians slowed the tempo, including one suggestion that this allowed Hopeton Lewis to sing more easily due to having an injured throat. Rocksteady featured less prominent horns while also including offbeat guitar strums with its signature skanking beat.
Toots and the Maytals pioneered reggae music with their 1968 hit record “54-46 (That’s My Number).” Other influential reggae acts at this time were Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh’s Wailers; later enhanced by Bob Marley. Their messages focused on Black people’s struggles in Jamaica and around the globe through Rastafari principles.
As well as drawing upon their Rastafari roots, Jamaican musicians drew upon Christian beliefs in their music. Some songs featured religious content that glorified God or begged forgiveness and repentance from Him; other lyrics focused on social issues related to oppression of Black masses by white capitalists and colonial powers.
Reggae first arrived in America in 1972 when Three Dog Night released their cover of Maytones’ version of Neil Diamond’s “Red, Red Wine.” This song became a top 10 hit on Billboard Hot 100 chart and gave many Americans their first experience of reggae music. Since then, reggae music has spread globally while continuing to influence popular music – its message of peace and love being particularly appealing for contemporary R&B and pop fans.
Roots
Reggae emerged during a period of immense change in Jamaica during the 1960s. A combination of R&B from America and traditional Caribbean music resulted in new sounds which reflected Jamaican social and political climate. Reggae was heavily influenced by Rastafarianism’s spiritual undertones as a call for social reform; further influenced by cultural legacies from Spain then Britain, where descendants of enslaved Africans created their own unique identities through music that combined European with African influences to form original.
Jamaica’s music from mento, calypso and ska genres helped pave the way for reggae’s development, drawing inspiration from rhythm and blues (especially that created in New Orleans by artists like Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint), jazz and Caribbean folk rhythms of msica de cola. Reggae features offbeat rhythms – staccato chords played on an offbeat of each measure by guitar or piano players – with call and response formats where singers sing back lyrics when listening to guitar riffs played by guitarists or piano players playing staccato chords on offbeats of measures in response to an offbeat.
Influential Jamaican musicians helped shape reggae music, including Lee “Scratch” Perry. He pushed its tempo beyond that of ska and rocksteady, helping create dub, which later had an outsized influence on hip-hop and dance music. Lee’s signature shuffle technique – using a repetitive organ pattern – created its distinct syncopated beat associated with reggae.
Bob Marley and the Wailers’ album Catch a Fire was the introduction of reggae music to a wider international audience during the early 1970s, becoming an international icon as Marley helped promote its spread worldwide through spiritual beliefs, songs of resistance, liberation and love that would soon become hallmarks of reggae music and its message of revolution and hope.
At that time, Britain was the primary destination for Jamaican emigrating, and British musicians played an instrumental role in this scene. This unique merging of Jamaican and English culture contributed to reggae development alongside styles like lovers rock and dub – these influences can still be found today in popular genres such as drum and bass, dubstep, and soul music.