The

Reggae
music
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The origins
The word "reggae" was coined around 1960 in Jamaica to identify a
"ragged" style of dance music, that still had its roots in New Orleans
rhythm'n'blues. However, reggae soon acquired the lament-like style
of chanting and emphasized the syncopated beat. It also made
explicit the relationship with the underworld of the "Rastafarians"
(adepts of a millenary African faith, revived Marcus Garvey who
advocated a mass emigration back to Africa), both in the lyrics and
in the appropriation of the African nyah-bingi drumming style (a style
that mimicks the heartbeat with its pattern of "thump-thump, pause,
thump-thump"). Compared with rock music, reggae music basically
inverted the role of bass and guitar: the former was the lead, the
latter beat the typical hiccupping pattern. The paradox of reggae, of
course, is that this music "unique to Jamaica" is actually not
Jamaican at all, having its foundations in the USA and Africa.
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The evolution

1968 - 1970 : the early reggae

1970 - 1972 : the reggae one-drop
1972 : the roots rock reggae
1985 : the early digital

In 1972, reggae is becoming an international mouvement.

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Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley OM (6 February 1945 11 May 1981)
was a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter, musician, and guitarist
who achieved international fame and acclaim.
Starting out in 1963 with the group the Wailers, he forged a
distinctive songwriting and vocal style that would later resonate with
audiences worldwide. The Wailers would go on to release some of
the earliest reggae records with producer Lee Scratch Perry.
After the Wailers disbanded in 1974, Marley pursued a solo career
which culminated in the release of the album Exodus in 1977 which
established his worldwide reputation and produced his status as one
of the world's best-selling artists of all time, with sales of more than
75 million records.
He was a committed Rastafari who infused his music with a sense of
spirituality.
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Pictures