THE HISTORY OF REGGAE

From 1968-1970 reggae began to find its feet. During this period of ‘early reggae,’ the Rastafarian influence of roots reggae had not yet taken full effect. Instead, this period saw reggae begin to create that sound that separates it from rocksteady; a slightly faster feel and heavy organ lines.

The lyrical focus of these tracks remained consistent with that of rocksteady with a predominant focus on love, however the influence of the rastafarian movement began to rear its head in the 1970s, for example many early Burning Spear recordings leaned towards social and religious themes.

Many recordings taken from this period have a unique, almost rustic sound to them, as found on this early Toots and the Maytals track.

BOB MARLEY(6 FEBRUARY 1945 – 11 MAY 1981)

Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter who

achieved international fame through a series of crossover reggae

albums. Starting out in 1963 with the group the Wailers,

he forged a distinctive songwriting and vocal style that would later resonate with audiences worldwide.

These are another reggae musiciansJimmy Cliff

Toots and the MaytalsPeter Tosh

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