Reggae Month Jamaica

“One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain” or some of you may know him better by “Singin', don't worry, about a thing 'cause every little thing, gonna be alright”; either way, Bob Marley is widely known and admired across the globe for his indelible contributions to the popularization of the Reggae genre. Reggae took its roots in Jamaica and created routes in places like England, the United States of America, Africa and Japan.

In honor of Reggae month and by no coincidence, Uncle Bob’s birthday, we will take a deeper look at Reggae and its routes.

The Birth of Reggae

Reggae supersedes more than three genres of music in Jamaica and became a recognizable form of popular music in the 1960s.

Chronologically, the history of music in the birthplace of Reggae, Jamaica, started with Folk Music between the enslavement era and the post abolition period of 1838, speaking predominantly on the oppression faced by people of color.

Between 1951 and 1956, the acoustic instruments (rhumba box, banjo, hand drums and guitar) Mento music became the island’s most popular form of music and held its position until Reggae took centre stage. Though more buoyant than its predecessor, Mento and Folk music share similar lyrical contents. The acoustic appeal, sexual innuendo filled and clever comments shared in Mento music often saw it confused with Calypso of Trinidad and Tobago that share similarities in these traits.

Following Mento came Ska in 1962 - 1966. Ska is a combination of the previous genre, Mento and the American originated Jazz and Blues with lyrical focus on love. Because of the similarity in sound between Ska and Jazz and Blues, Ska was not only popular in Jamaica but in the United Kingdom and the United States of America as well.

Following Mento came Ska in 1962 - 1966. Ska is a combination of the previous genre, Mento and the American originated Jazz and Blues with lyrical focus on love. Because of the similarity in sound between Ska and Jazz and Blues, Ska was not only popular in Jamaica but in the United Kingdom and the United States of America as well.

Next was Rocksteady from 1966 to 1968. The genre got its name from one of the era’s influential artists, Hopeton Lewis who released the song ‘Rocksteady’ in 1966. In hindsight, the name Rocksteady is quite indicative of the movement of the dance associated with the genre, a slow and steady rock. Though this was the shortest lived musical era in the island’s history, a lot of what Reggae is, comes from the Rocksteady period.

Then came the birth of Reggae in grassroots music 1968 - 1983. It is actually interesting that the birth of Reggae does not coincide with the popularization of the genre. The era began with local hits from artists like Lee Perry, otherwise known as ‘Scratch’ and Clany Eccles but took to the world map with artists like Toots and the Maytals ‘Pressure Drops’, Bob Marley ‘One Love’, Jimmy Cliff ‘Many Rivers to Cross’, Sister Nancy ‘Bam Bam’, Peter Tosh ‘Legalize It’ and several others. Reggae artists often use their platform to speak on social issues, declaring their stance on particular ideologies in the society.

Later came Dancehall in 1985 with more upbeat rhythms, heavily focused on whining and dancing, a cultural identifier of the Caribbean.

Uncle Bob

Bob Marley in no small part amplified the voice of the grass roots people of Jamaica and through genuine passion and connection with the sound of music and the need to effect change in the social construct, became a big hit worldwide; today living on as the Father of Reggae.

With hits like “One Love”, “Three Little Birds” and “Could You be Loved” Reggae cannot be mentioned anywhere at all with the name of Uncle Bob.

That begs the question of where else you can find Reggae, right now, the genre is one of Japan’s most popular hits with Reggae artists like Ninjaman, Papa B and J-Rexxx topping the charts.

But nothing is quite like yaad (Jamaica) when it comes to the sweet sounds of Reggae. Uncle Bob has passed the mantle on to artists like his son Damion ‘Ziggy’ Marley, Koffee, Sean Paul, Shaggy, Protoje and so many many more and is a big hit aboard an Island Routes Reggae catamaran!

For more information on how you can enjoy the routes of Reggae in the Caribbean, click here.