Reggae History
History of Reggae and Caribbean Music. To this day there are many mixed disputes about the origin of the word reggae. To Jamaican music fans of the late sixties and early seventies the term came from a song entitled "Do the Reggay" from legendary band Toots and Maytals. Some think that it comes from the word "streggae," a Jamaican slang term for prostitute. The most reputable explanation was by Bob Marley himself which was that the word came from Spanish origin which roughly translated to "the king's music." (Timothy White, 16) Reggae music originated from the style of Calypso. For years during and after the 1920s, Calypso was the dominant music throughout the Caribbean. Calypso originated from the celebration of carnival in the Caribbean province of Trinidad. (White, 18) The celebration of carnival gave the Trinidadians an outlet for their music. Carnival is a celebration that emanates from a smorgasbord of European and African cultural expressions. The word CARNIVAL comes from a Roman word which translates into 'farewell to the flesh.' Carnival is celebrated throughout different areas of Brazil and Trinidad prior to Ash Wednesday. (Mascots2000.com) It was during the 18th century that carnival celebrations were brought
com) With the death of Bob Marley came the end of an era. When Marley was diagnosed with Melanoma, doctors offered the solution of amputating his toe which is where the cancer began. The Ska craze spread to England during the late fifties where English music moguls began to set up record labels (such as BlueBeat) to profit from the Ska craze. Soon after, Trinidad was taken over by Britain. Amongst these rules was the banning of all drums. The first attempt was to mix R&B with Jazz which spawned a type of music known as Ska. The British's African slaves witnessed the celebrations and began to incorporate their own culture and traditions into the celebration with great amusement as well as pride. The Wailers brought a sense of extreme cultural pride to the Reggae movement. The most prominent aspect of this identity was Rastafarianism. During this time period the Spanish were the governors of Trinidad and they invited the French to live in their lands. This evolved form of Ska became known as Rocksteady. These styles were loved by the Jamaicans as local musicians attempted to recreate those styles while putting their own spin on the music. Reggae became the dominant and personifying music of Jamaica. Around 1966 Ska began to change as its brass section and bass guitar became more of background music while guitar and vocals were more prominent.
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Acceptance Essays
