Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the word "reggae", effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento as well as American jazz and rhythm and blues, especially the New Orleans R&B practiced by Fats Domino and Allen Toussaint, and evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady. Reggae usually relates news, social gossip, and political comment. Reggae spread into a commercialized jazz field, being known first as "Rudie Blues", then "Ska", later "Blue Beat", and "Rock Steady". It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat, and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of the bass as a percussion instrument.
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott was a Jamaican reggae singer, producer and sound-system operator.
The Specials is the debut album by British ska revival band The Specials. Released on 19 October 1979 on Jerry Dammers' 2 Tone label, the album is seen by some as the defining moment in the UK ska scene. Produced by Elvis Costello, the album captures the disaffection and anger felt by the youth of the UK's "concrete jungle"—a phrase borrowed from Bob Marley's 1972 album Catch a Fire but equally apposite used here to describe the grim, violent inner cities of 1970s Britain. The album features a mixture of original material and several covers of classic Jamaican ska tracks, a debt which went uncredited on the 1979 release.
Rock n' Roll Nights is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band BTO, released in 1979. This record was one of three BTO albums that did not feature co-founder Randy Bachman. Rock n' Roll Nights is also one of the two albums from this band to feature Jim Clench, formerly of April Wine. This LP generated worldwide sales of only about 350,000 copies, though a single from the album called "Heartaches" managed to reach #60 on the U.S. charts and cracked the Top 40 in Canada. Rock n' Roll Nights is a rare find on CD, as it was released only for a short time on that format in 1990.
Robbin' the Hood is the second album by the Southern California ska punk band Sublime, which was released in 1994. It is noted for its experimental nature, low production values, and numerous samples and interpolations of other artists.
Wayne Smith was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician best known for his 1985 hit "Under Mi Sleng Teng", which is regarded as the track which initiated the digital era of reggae.
The Roots Radics Band was formed in 1978 by bass player Errol "Flabba" Holt, guitarist Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont and drummer Lincoln "Style" Scott. They were joined by many musicians, including guitarist Noel "Sowell" Bailey, Dwight Pinkney and Steve Golding, keyboard player Wycliffe "Steelie" Johnson, Pianist Gladstone "Gladdy" Anderson and saxophonist Headley Bennett. As a combined force the Roots Radics became a well-respected studio and stage band, which dominated the sound in the first half of the 1980s. They supported artists like Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs, Michael Prophet, Eek-A-Mouse, and Israel Vibration and have released several albums to their name as well. As an aside, the English word 'Radical' is derived from the Latin word 'Radix', which is the Latin word for 'Root'.
Shinehead is an English-born, Bronx New York raised Jamaican reggae singer/toaster/rapper.
Philip Thomas, better known as Cutty Ranks is a Jamaican dancehall musician.
Karl Pitterson is a Jamaican record producer and sound engineer.
Here I Come is a reggae album by Barrington Levy. The music was recorded at Channel One Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. It was released in 1985 on LP on Time I Records, and once again in 1988 on CD.
Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.
Lee Jaffe is an American artist, photographer, filmmaker, musician, and producer.
Negril is an album released in 1975 from a session produced, arranged, and almost entirely composed by guitarist Eric Gale. It includes some of Jamaica's best-known musicians of the time. The album expresses Gale's fondness for the beach and natural beauty of the Jamaican seaside village Negril, which became a popular destination for tourists.
Paul Love, better known as Jah Screw is a Jamaican singer and record producer best known for his work in the 1980s and 1990s with artists such as Barrington Levy, Barry Brown, and Ranking Joe
"Top of the World" is the second single by Canadian hip hop group Rascalz from their third studio album, Global Warning. The song features fellow Canadian rapper K-os and Jamaican singer Barrington Levy, who sings the chorus. The song appears on MuchMusic's compilation album, MuchDance 2001. It remains one of the group's most popular songs. In 2010, the song was sampled by Selah Sue on the title track of her 2010 EP, Raggamuffin.
A Real Labour of Love is the nineteenth studio album by UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey. It peaked at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart, making it the highest-charting UB40 album since Promises and Lies, which reached number-one in 1993.
