Reggae and its Influence on American Music
During the 1960’s and 70’s America and the world was swept up by a new music genre that was very different from anything anyone had heard before. This new style of music had a very exotic flavor to it and broke many of the “rules” enforced by many of the popular American acts during that time. The new genre, called reggae, combined the popular Jamaican styles of ska and rock steady to create a totally independent and powerful sound.
Reggae music flipped musical norms of the time by switching the roles of the bass guitar and the rhythm guitar; gone was the lead guitar and in it’s place was the bass. This new style also emphasized the 2nd and 4th beats in a measure instead of the 1st and 3rd beats often heard in popular rock n’ roll music. Aside from guitars, reggae music often times also featured a very distinct horn section with a percussion accompaniment and unique and complex vocal arrangements. This new style took America by storm and forever influenced the American music soundscape.
Sources: History of Jamaican Music: http://niceup.com/history/ja_music_59-73.html
A Brief Summary of Jamaican Music: http://www.scaruffi.com/history/reggae.html
Reggae Music 101: http://worldmusic.about.com/od/genres/p/Reggae.htm
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