Ska combines the catchy backbeat of New Orleans- style R&B and mento. Many early ska songs were covers of popular American songs. Typically ska drums stress beats 2 & 4 over a "walking" quarter-note bass, with the guitar stiking the offbeats in a syncopated mento style. Ska's tempo was especially appealing to the restless Jamaican youth, and was always the music of the poor.
Some reggae historians identify the R & B song that fathered the ska beat as "No More Doggin'" (1952) by Roscoe Gordon, a Memphis piano player. The "one and two and three and four" beat had been around since the 40s, and was used by Rhythm & Blues artists like Louis Jordan & Big Joe Turner. Theophilus Beckford is considered by many to have recorded the first ska tune, "Easy Snapping", in 1959. The recording was produced by Lloyd "Matador" Daley, and arranged by Ernest Ranglin.
Cluet Johnson AKA "Clue J" was important to the development of Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's desire in the late 50s to establish a distinctive Jamaican musical sound. Clue J's distinctive stage greeting - skavoovie, lead some to define this as the root of the term Ska.
Sir Lord Comic's "The Great Wuga Wuga" (1967 WIRL(JA)), a musical advertisement for his sound system, was one of the last great Ska tunes.
The Skatalites, who truly defined the various ska-era styles, were ubiquitous in the mid-60s, but only held together for about 14 months (1964-65). The original Skatalites were jazzmen in the 40s & 50s, bringing the influence of big-band, bebop & the Blue Note sound to the new Jamaican dance sound. Reforming in the 80s they continue to excite audiences worldwide.
When ska began its change into the more sophisticated-sounding Rock Steady during the mid-60s singers came into their own. While the tempo remained about the same Rock Steady carried a relaxed rhythmic density.
In Rock Steady the guitar only strums on beats 2 & 4, and the bass guitar emphasizes beats 1 & 3.
Drums are less prominent in Rock Steady as their rhythmic role was being taken over by the bass guitar. Drums provided accents, or were inaudible. Less predominant horns and less-rigid beat offered more vocal possibilities. Rock Steady was perfect for romantic group vocals.
By 1969 the new, enduring sound of Reggae had established itself. Reggae is closer to the chanting, meditative Nyabinghi sound, and lends itself to musical meditiation. The Rock Steady years brought the bass to prominence. The strength of the booming bass line continues in Reggae. Jamaicans have always been fond of the bass sound, as seen in mento music. Reggae takes it to higher heights. It is the "riddim" that makes the song, and results in the versions.
Like most popular music of the western world, Reggae is played in 4/4 time - 4 beats to a bar of 4. The strongly felt beats, or downbeats, are beats 2 & 4, opposite to most pop music. Some claim that this has made Reggae's acceptance difficult in North America (leaden 1 & 3 feet?)!
The One Drop style is defined by the drumming pattern. With the expectation of the bass drum hitting on beats 1 & 3, the "one" is "drop"ped. There's much more to it though. The snare may emphasize the 3rd beat. The bass may emphasize beat 1 with a strong note, but also often misses the first beat too. The high hat may emphasize the 1st beat. By this definition, Ska must be considered the original "one drop" rhythm.
Rockers is a style of Reggae beat that originated in the mid-70s. Unlike the earlier "one drop" style which has the bass drum play on the 3rd beat of every measure, in a rockers beat the bass drum plays on all four beats of the measure, like the bass drum in a disco beat. In fact, this beat probably influenced the sound of disco music.
One drop bass drum pattern: 1 2 3 4
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Rockers bass drum pattern: 1 2 3 4
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The term Rockers came to be a generic term for 70s reggae, partly due to the emphatic nature of the term.
Rastafari has always been strongly linked to Reggae, making the music important socio-politically as well as culturally.
Jamaican music itself has changed considerably over the past 35 or so years. Dub music is the result of the engineer restructuring the sound on the mixing board. Lovers rock, deejays, dub poetry all come from the root. Dancehall and Jungle music are the latest trends in this everchanging Jamaican sound. The emigration of Jamaicans and other West Indies to Europe and North America has both spread the vibe and blended other musical ideas to Reggae. All in all, Reggae has exerted an international impact remarkable for such a small nation - the loudest island in the world.
