Unit 208 Music style

development Reggae
By Stephen May
11 CME
Location of Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, located in
the northwestern Caribbean Sea, about 90 miles south of Cuba.
Location - Caribbean Sea
Coordinates - 1815N 7730W
Archipelago - Greater Antilles
Area - 10,911 km2 (4,213 sq. mi)
Area rank - 71st
Length - 248 km (154.1 mi)
Width - 84 km (52.2 mi)
Coastline - 1,022 km (635 mi)
Highest elevation - 2,256 m (7,402 ft.)
Highest point - Blue Mountain Peak
History of Jamaica
Jamaica was inhabited by Arawak Indians
when Columbus explored it in 1494 and named
it St. Iago. It remained under Spanish rule until
1655, when it became a British possession.
Buccaneers operated from Port Royal, also the
capital, until it fell into the sea in an
earthquake in 1692. Disease decimated the
Arawak's, so black slaves were imported to
work on the sugar plantations. During the 17th
and 18th centuries the British were consistently
harassed by the Maroons, armed bands of freed
slaves roaming the countryside. Abolition of
the slave trade (1807), emancipation of the
slaves (1833), and a drop in sugar prices
eventually led to a depression that resulted in
an uprising in 1865.
The following year Jamaica became a Crown colony, and conditions improved considerably. Introduction of
bananas reduced dependence on sugar.
On May 5, 1953, Jamaica gained internal autonomy, and, in 1958, superheaded the organization of the West
Indies Federation. A nationalist labor leader, Sir Alexander Bustamante, later campaigned to withdraw from
the federation. After a referendum, Jamaica became independent on Aug. 6, 1962. Michael Manley, of the
socialist People's National Party, became prime minister in 1972.

Reggae Artists Origin
Bob Marley was born on 6
th
February 1945 in Nine Mile,
Saint Ann in Jamaica .
He was give the birth name of Robert Nesta Marley and is
also known as Tuff Gong.
A popular Bob Marley song is Three Little Birds.
Toots Hibbert was born on 8
th
December 1942 in May
Pen, Kinston in Jamiaca. He was given the birth name of
Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert
A popular Toots Hibert song is Pressure Drop
Jimmy Cliff was born on 1
st
April 1948 in St. James in
Jamaica. Jimmy Cliff was given the birth name James
Chambers.
A popular Jimmy Cliff sing is I Can See Clearly Now
Reggae Songs information
Reggae music started at around 1960 in the
slums of Kingston Jamaica in a time where the
local bands were playing a musical mixture of
American R&B, Caribbean. Reggae music is
based on a rhythmic style which is
characterized by accents on the off beat which
is referred to as the skank and it is normally
slower than both Ska and rock steady. Many
people regard People funny boy by Lee
Perry as the first true Reggae song.
Hurricane Hattie
Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to
rocksteady and reggae.

Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American
jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on
the upbeat. In the early 1960s, Ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular
with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads.


Music historians typically divide the history of Ska into three periods: the original Jamaican scene
of the 1960s (First Wave); the English 2 Tone Ska revival of the late 1970s (Second Wave); and the
third wave Ska movement, which started in the 1980s (Third Wave) and rose to popularity in the
US in the 1990s.

A good example of this is Hurricane Hattie By Jimmy Cliff. It starts with a short drum lick and
features off beat chords on harmonica and piano and follows a 12 bar structure very similar to 12
bar blues.
Run For Cover
Lee Scratch Perry. This song was recorded in
1967 and is an early example of the crossover
from rocksteady to reggae. It starts with the
familiar drum lick and has the off-beat chords
on piano and guitar. There are also vocal
harmonies and a bass groove. It is quite a slow
tempo for reggae. Its lyrics attack his previous
employer, Clement Dodd.
People Funny Boy
Reggae music started at around 1960 in the slums of Kingston
Jamaica in a time where the local bands were playing a musical
mixture of American R&B, Caribbean. Reggae music is based on
a rhythmic style which is characterized by accents on the off beat
which is referred to as the skank and it is normally slower than
both Ska and rock steady. Many people regard People funny
boy by Lee Perry as the first true Reggae song.
This song starts with the drum lick, and uses the off beat chords on
guitar. It is a faster tempo than Run for Cover and shows the
development of the reggae style into what we are used to hearing
today.
Pressure Drop
Toots Hibbert was born on 8
th
December 1942 in May
Pen, Kinston in Jamiaca. He was given the birth name of
Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert
A popular Toots Hibert song is Pressure Drop
This song appeared in the film The Harder They Come which helped
to introduce Reggae to the rest of the world. It also starts with a drum
lick and has the off-beat guitar chords throughout.
Three Little Birds
Bob Marley was born on 6
th
February 1945 in Nine Mile,
Saint Ann in Jamaica .
He was give the birth name of Robert Nesta Marley and is
also known as Tuff Gong.
A popular Bob Marley song is Three Little Birds.
This is a typical Reggae song. It uses the familiar off-beat chords and
drum groove associated with Reggae. The piece begins with a drum
lick, which is typical of many Reggae songs. The chords are very
simple and the piece has a clear structure of chorus, verse, chorus,
verse, chorus.
Red Red Wine
UB40 are a Birmingham based reggae
band who had a hit with Red, Red Wine
in 1983. The song begins with the short
drum lick but is also joined by the
vocalist. It follows the traditional off beat
feel with the guitar and keyboards, and
has the groovy bass riff. The middle
section of the song features a rap section,
showing a development of the style and a
fusion with another genre.
Love Is My Religion
This is a song by Ziggy Marley, Bob Marleys son. It is
the title song of the album which was released in 2006.
It won a grammy for best reggae album.

It starts with a very short drum lick, but immediately
falls into the familiar off beat feel with the guitars and a
bass riff. It features vocal harmonies in the chorus. It
has a more produced sound than earlier reggae
recordings, highlighting the progress made in
recording technology.
Rastafarianism
Rastafarianism is a religious movement (especially popular in Jamaica 5% to 10% of the population) that is less than a century
old. It had its beginnings in a black, political movement that started in the 1920s/30s.

One of the early influences who paved the way for the rise of this cult was Marcus Garvey (1887-1940). Garvey, who lived in New
York City, believed that the black man would never receive fair treatment in a white mans world. He thus organized a back-to-
Africa movement that attracted thousands of followers among the poor blacks of certain large-city urban areas. Garvey was
convicted of mail fraud, spent time in prison, and finally returned to his native Jamaica in 1927.

At about the same time, Garvey allegedly prophesied that a black king would be crowned in Africa, and through that monarch
deliverance for dark-skin people would be realized eventually. Garvey himself never joined the subsequent religious movement
that became known as Rastafarianism.

In 1930, a man by the name of Ras Tafari Makonnen (1893-1975) was crowned as emperor of Ethiopia. He became more popularly
known as Haile Selassie I (signifying, Power of the Trinity), a name he chose for himself. Selassie was from a dynasty that
boasted of having descended from a union between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (of which there is no biblical
evidence). At his coronation, he was exalted as King of Kings, Lord of Lords, His Imperial Majesty of the Conquering Lion of the
Tribe of Judah, Elect of God. In the minds of many, Selassie was perceived as the fulfillment of Marcus Garveys earlier
prophecy.

The followers of Selassie began to designate themselves as Rastafarians, after the emperors original name (though, apparently,
Selassie himself never joined the sect). The main focus of the movement was in Jamaica, but many Rastafarians migrated to the
United States in the 1960s/70s. They now number more than 1,000,000 world-wide.

Like many other systems, Rastafarianism has segments within it that advocate various shades of religious ideas. But these sects
have one thing in common. Each teaches doctrines that are antagonistic to the Christian system as revealed in the New Testament.
Here is a brief listing of some of the false ideas associated with this religious movement.
Ska
*Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the
precursor to rocksteady and reggae.

Ska combined elements of Caribbean
mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is
characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. In
the early 1960s, Ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was
popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads.


Music historians typically divide the history of Ska into three periods: the
original Jamaican scene of the 1960s (First Wave); the English 2 Tone Ska
revival of the late 1970s (Second Wave); and the third wave Ska movement,
which started in the 1980s (Third Wave) and rose to popularity in the US in
the 1990s.

A good example of this is Hurricane Hattie By Jimmy Cliff
*see Wikipedia
Rock Steady
*Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica
around 1966. A successor to ska and a precursor to reggae,
Rocksteady was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony
groups such as The Gaylads, The Maytals, The Heptones and
The Paragons. The term Rocksteady comes from a dance style
that was mentioned in the Alton Ellis song "Rock Steady".
Dances performed to Rocksteady were less energetic than the
earlier Ska dances. The first international Rocksteady hit was
"Hold Me Tight" (1968) by the American soul singer Johnny
Nash; it reached number one in Canada.

A good example of this is The Tide Is High By The Paragons
*see Wikipedia
Current Reggae Music
A current Ska band is Madness from London. They achieved
most of their success through the early to mid 80s as they
spent over 4 years in the UK charts over a course of 10 years.
In 1986 the band split as two singles failed to make it in the top
40. In 1991 they re-released the single It must be love which
reached no.6 in the UK charts and they also released Divine
Madness which reached no.1 in the album charts which
followed up with them revealing they were planning a
reunion tour later in 1992.
A more modern Reggae band is The Expendables which
originated from Santa Cruz in California. They formed in 1997
and use many styles of music including Reggae, Ska, Punk
Rock and Surf Rock.
One Love Concert
In the One Love Concert in 1978 Bob Marley and The
Wailers performed in Kingstons National Arena
with the other main Reggae artists in an attempt to
link the political parties that were fighting.

Bob Marley joined the hands of Michael Manley and
Edward Seaga on the stage after the concert having
seen the leaders werent constantly at each others
throat which cooled down the conflict.
At One Love Festival you see familiar
artists that supported them every year
alongside touring artists that you grew up
listening to side by side with up and
coming exciting new acts. All paying
homage to the philosophy of The One Love
Festival as they play Conscience Roots,
Dub Music and enjoy all the sub genres of
that.
Reggae Fashion -
Dreadlocks
As Reggae became more popular in the
70s, dreadlocks became the fashion
statement which was relatable to
Reggae and was worn by prominent
artists most notable, Bob Marley.
Dreadlocks were also portrayed as part
of gang culture in movies. Dreadlocks
arent always worn for religious reasons
as many people wear them for style.

As the Rasta style was popular, that
fashion became a trend and many hair
products for that style were released
such as wax, shampoo and jewellery.
Also multicoloured hair extensions were
created to give synthetic locks and
dread perms which chemicals are used
to treat hair.
Reggae Colours
There are 4 important colours that are related to Reggae; black, red, gold and green

- Black represents the people of Africa.
- Red stands for the blood of the people that was shed or the Rastafarian Church
- Gold is for the Gold that was stolen from
them.
- Green is for the land of Ethiopia.
Reggae Fashion - Rastacap
The Rastacap (also known as
Tam is worn by Rastafarians to
tuck their dreadlocks away. They
are usually crocheted and mainly
worn by men.
Reggae Fashion
With Reggae fashion
there is no particular
style of dress but the
colours are important.
Marijuana
Marijuana is used as there is
a belief that it brings them
closer to God and opens
your mind to receive Gods
testimony. Cannabis is
called Ganja in Jamaican
slang and often appears in
Reggae lyrics.