Music / Styles A–Z / The Caribbean and Latin America · 21 of 35
Reggae
Reggae came out of Jamaica in the late 1960s, from ska and rocksteady. It is slower, with a strong downbeat in drums and bass and short, staccato chords on the offbeat.
- Where and when
- Jamaica, especially Kingston, late 1960s
- Tempo
- Slower than ska or rocksteady
- Played on
- Bass guitar, drums, offbeat guitar or piano chords, organ
What it is
Reggae came out of Jamaica in the late 1960s, from ska and rocksteady. Toots and the Maytals' 1968 single "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the word and so named the genre. It is slower than ska or rocksteady, with a strong downbeat in the drums and bass and short, staccato chords on the offbeat.
For the producer. The bass guitar is central: a thick, heavy tone with the highs cut to bring out the low end, often played like a percussion instrument. The slower tempo leaves room for the "double skank", two guitar strokes on each offbeat. Jackie Mittoo and Winston Wright's organ shuffle marked the move from rocksteady to reggae.
The records that made it
From the lesson The Caribbean and Latin America, where the sources are listed · links open a search
- 1968Nanny GoatLarry Marshall · Taken as one of the first real reggae records.
- 1968No More Heartachesthe Beltones · Taken as one of the first real reggae records.
Reggae in this month’s records
New releases the press we read wrote about, tagged reggae on MusicBrainz · updated with every build