Essay - Reggae Music in 1968, a New Form of Music, Blended...

Reggae music

In 1968, a new form of music, blended from a religious movement, R*****stafarian, and numerous musical influences such as rhythm and blues, rocksteady, African, and ska, emerged in Jamaica and spread quickly throughout the world. This music, known as reggae, def*****ed a n*****tion of people for centuries and helped develop various ***** *****s worldwide. ***** paper will discuss the history ***** *****, the major artists of the art form, ***** how the ***** has changed, both in its original nation as well as how the music ***** been altered for American audiences.

Reggae began as a blend of ska and rocksteady, ***** thus, to understand the ***** of reggae, one must explore Jamaican ***** his*****ry on a whole. Ska, ***** first form ***** reggae, was born around 1960 from a blending of American R&B and traditi*****al mento music. The emphasis ***** Ska was on the guitar afterbeat, which the ***** industry had not previously seen. At the time, Jamaica ***** received her independence, and *****al pride was at its highest. Anything seen as unique to Jamaica was sought after, ***** the Ska music of the time was the perfect backdrop to a ch*****nging culture. Since ***** was generally made by ***** working class ***** the country, the music was ***** as an art ***** of the people (Everything *****n, 2).

By 1964, Ska had become the primary ***** of Jamaica, and was closely tied to the identity of ***** country. Having taken hold with the Jamaican populati***** of England, Ska also became a world-wide phenomenon (***** Jamaican, 3). At the time, a group ***** Briton youths, known ********** ***** Mods, were operating in an underground movement. Simultaneously, Jamaica ***** experiencing a similar generational uprising in youths known as the rude boys. With shaved heads, good clothing, and pork pie hats, the ***** boys were f*****hionable, stylish, of the working class, and loved strong dance music. The fashions spread overseas, but as ***** rude boys ***** to find themselves caught with no work and no m*****y following *****n independence, their image began ***** change. Now living in the ghettos and turning to crime as a me*****ns of survival, the rude ***** shortly became part of local political groups. Living in society's fringes, and expressing ***** through art, the rude boys disliked the fast pace of Ska, ***** wanted a slower beat (Everything Jamaican, 3).

In response, musicians slowed the ***** of Ska, resulting in a ***** music form termed rockste*****dy. The music, ***** to that ***** Ska, was slowed to about half ***** time, and was again popular among *****s and British alike. The skinhead ***** of Briton, an adaptation of the Mods, soon took rocksteady as their music ***** choice (Everything Jamaic*****, 4).

*****, by the close of 1967, ***** rocksteady beat w***** becoming too slow, ***** again the people sought a new style. With the addition of organs, rhythm guitars, and a change ***** beat, ***** ***** of ***** was born. Historian Barrow credits producer Clancy Eccles