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REGGAE FACTS

Reggae Analysis

Genres  > Reggae Reggae Facts About Reggae Reggae is a unique fusion of local folk music with outside influences. The local folk music was a Jamaican form called mento, but in the 40s and 50s Jamaicans were also listening to music from the US – jazz, bebop, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n' roll.
Read more about reggae ...

Key events in reggae   The Harder They Come
The soundtrack to the reggae movie The Harder They Come, starring Jimmy Cliff, results in a huge upsurge in the popularity of Reggae in America.
  My Boy Lollipop
Millie Small has Reggae's first mainstream hit in 1964 with "My Boy Lollipop", reaching Number 2 in the US and Number 1 in the UK. It remains one of the biggest-selling reggae or ska discs of all time, with more than seven million sales.
  Prince Buster
 Born Cecil Bustamente Campbell in Jamaica in 1938, in 1960 his debut track, "Little Honey", introduces the classic syncopated rhythm of ska to the Jamaican nation.
  Catch A Fire
In 1973 Bob Marley and the Wailers release "Catch A Fire", produced by Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records. It's the first of their albums released outside of Jamaica, and immediately earns worldwide acclaim.
  Marley Dies
 In 1981 Bob Marley dies of cancer. As with many performers, his musical reputation is cemented in death.

Key reggae songwriters

Bob Marley
  Bob Marley
Indisputedly Reggae's most-famous and iconic performer, Bob Marley's songs, such as "Get Up", "Stand Up", "Buffalo Soldier" and "I Shot The Sheriff" are instantly recognisable anywhere in the world. Marley's influence on Reggae in his native Jamaica is regarded with almost mystical reverence.

audio icon   Stir It Up

audio icon   I Shot The Sheriff

audio icon    Sun Is Shining  

Prince Buster
  Prince Buster
Prince Buster has had an incredible influence on Jamaican music since the beginning of the 60s when he set up his own sound system to travel the island. A prolific performer, writer and producer - at his peak he was producing two singles a week! - Prince Buster has been a Reggae institution since the success of his first single, "Little Honey".

audio icon   Earthquake

audio icon   Take it easy

audio icon   Judge Dread  

Desmond Dekker
  Desmond Dekker
Long before Marley, Desmond Dekker was Reggae's musical ambassador to the rest of the world, his rocksteady catalogue including the massive singles "007 (Shanty Town)" and "The Israelites".

israelites audio   Israelites

007 (shanty town) audio   007 (shanty town)

007 (shanty town) audio   Rude Boy Train
  

Genres Rock Pop Folk Country Easy Blues Soul Jazz Reggae

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