Marsh

When the name Bob Marley is mentioned, people automatically think “Reggae”. Reggae music has a vast amount of fans worldwide, however many individuals do not know the extensive origins of reggae. Of course the root of Reggae came from the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, but many don’t realize that reggae dates back to African Slaves. Reggae has a cultural, social and political purpose to the world. Reggae originates from the foundations of the African Orthodox Church, which Rastafarians integrate into everyday life.

At the beginning of the 1920’s the dominate music in the Caribbean was the Trinidad based Calypso. Calypso is a form of Afro-Caribbean music which originated from the arrival of African slaves in the Caribbean. Slaves were not allowed to speak to one another so they communicated through songs. Until this time there were no other influences on Caribbean music. It was not until the late 1950s a new music genre was entering the Caribbean. After World War II, people of the Caribbean were able to hear music from the Southern United States such as New Orleans, Memphis and Miami with the help of radios. Jamaicans heard creole music, the blues and R&B. As Calypso fused with the newly heard genres of the UK and United States, a new genre appeared known as Ska. Ska was made by the working class Jamaicans who told their stories. This form of music was the Jamaican version of what the U.S. referred to as R&B. With the new clash of music, Ska slowly evolved into Rocksteady. In 1966 Rocksteady came at a time young Jamaicans were experimenting with sounds system they had such as record players and speakers. Rock Steady carried a more relaxed rhythmic harmony. At the time the urban society of Jamaica could not afford live bands to perform at gatherings. This brought about Dance Halls. Dance Halls were usually entertained with two hefty speakers and a record player. The slowed down form of Ska meant that people didn’t have to exert so much energy, so they could stay on the