Origins of Reggae

Reggae is the term used to refer to all popular Jamaican music and owes it origins to the development of mento, ska and rocksteady. This music form emerged around 1968 and realized international acclaim through the success of singers like Bob Marley and the Wailers.



Reggae music is made by regular chops of the off -beat with a slow tempo. There are accents on the 3rd beat in each bar and is always played in 4/4 time. The melodies are simple and some reggae songs use only 2 chords. Instruments often used in the production of reggae include, Drums, Rhythm guitars, bass guitars, Saxophones and trumpets.

Rastafarian culture influenced reggae music very much as many of the rude boys who had previously been listening to ska and rocksteady turned to rastafari, as did many of the artists. Soon artists started to incorporate drumming commonly used at Rastafarian gatherings into the music.

The lyrics of reggae music usually focus on love, war, socio - economic conditions, societal injustices and the political culture. The music became more revolutionary with the Rastafarian influence, and bands such as The Wailers were at the forefront of this revolution.

In the 70's and 80's reggae became a lot more popular in the United States and the rest of the world. With movies like ‘The Harder They Come' starring Jimmy Cliff and Eric Clapton's remake of ‘I Shot the Sheriff', reggae music took the world by storm. One sign that reggae could hold its own on the international scene was the addition of ‘Best Reggae Album' category to Grammy Awards in 1985.

Since then, reggae music has had enormous success, being featured on major motion picture soundtracks, in commercials for popular brands and an increased acceptance among the world's people.