Reggae history starts in Jamaica in the 1960s, but it’s not just a timeline—it's a story of culture, politics, and new ways to move a crowd. If you want to understand modern music, knowing reggae’s roots will change how you hear everything from hip-hop to punk.
Reggae grew out of ska and rocksteady. Ska was fast and horn-driven in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Rocksteady slowed the beat and put more focus on bass and singing. By the late 1960s, producers and musicians pushed the rhythm even more, and reggae was born: deep bass lines, offbeat guitar chops, and space in the mix for messages.
Key people shaped this sound. Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid ran the early studios and record labels. Lee "Scratch" Perry and King Tubby experimented with production and dub techniques that changed how records were made. And artists like The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer), Toots and the Maytals, and Burning Spear gave reggae its voice—songs about struggle, faith, and everyday life.
Don’t miss the role of sound systems. Mobile DJs played records at street dances and tested new tracks in front of real crowds. These events created instant feedback: hits were born or dropped right there. Toasting—talking or rapping over a beat—came from those DJs and later influenced hip-hop.
By the 1970s reggae crossed the Caribbean and reached the UK. Immigrant communities carried records and culture overseas. Bob Marley’s international breakthrough turned reggae into a global language for protest and hope. Labels, clubs, and festivals in Europe and Africa embraced the sound, and local scenes adapted it to their own issues and rhythms.
Reggae also fed other genres. Dub pushed producers to use studio gear creatively. Punk bands in Britain bonded with reggae’s anti-establishment tone, leading to collaborations and the 2-Tone ska revival. Today you can hear reggae’s bass-heavy patterns and offbeat rhythms in pop, electronic music, and even modern R&B.
Want to learn fast? Start with a few records: The Wailers' Catch a Fire and Exodus, Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey, Toots and the Maytals' Funky Kingston, and Lee "Scratch" Perry’s Super Ape. Watch documentaries about Jamaica’s 1960s–70s music scene, and look for local reggae nights or sound-system sessions to feel the music live.
Reggae history is practical: listen closely to bass and space, pay attention to production tricks, and read lyrics for context. That will give you a clearer sense of why reggae still moves people—and why it keeps influencing new music decades later.
