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2.6.16Reggae Music: Origins and Brief History
Origins
Reggae has roots in several Afro-Caribbean genres, notably calypso (Trinidad and Tobago), mento, ska, and rocksteady (Jamaica).
For a few years in the late 1950s and early '60s, calypso became quite popular outside the Caribbean, thanks to Harry Belafonte and a few other artists who introduced calypso to North American and UK audiences. But calypso did not become established as a mainstream genre outside of the Caribbean.
In the late 1960s, another genre did take hold beyond the Caribbean, a slowed-down and somewhat altered style of ska, known as reggae.
Breakout
“Do the Reggay” (early spelling) by Toots & The Maytals, released in 1968, marked the breakout of reggae, much as “Rapper’s Delight” in 1979 marked the breakout of hip-hop.
Not long after, Bob Marley and The Wailers took the world by storm.
Crest
Reggae crested in the 1970s, Marley’s brilliant decade. He died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36.
Mainstream Genre
Reggae and related genres such as ska remain popular and influential in mainstream Western popular music.