Reggae Music and Bob Marley

Today, it was not wrong to say that the music which was developed in Jamaica has made its place in all over the world. Its popularity can be gauged from the fact that today its popularity has spread across the globe. Everyone love to hear reggae music and the matter of the fact is nowadays everyone can be found with at least one CD of this genre of Music. People like this music because of its theme which is based on Love, friendship, social-equity and anti-racism and musician like Bob Marley has taken it to the next level of popularity.

There are several brilliant artists who have made it so much popular across the globe with their brilliant compositions. I have all the praise for artist like Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff and King Tubby who have made large contribution in the development of Reggae music but one artist who has made it world popular is my Favorite Bob Marley. Truly, He is the king of Reggae Music. With his Group Reggae The Wailers, He made a Album called "Burnin". The album has hit the country with its brilliant songs. This album has spread the popularity of reggae music to all over the world. It was because of this album that reggae has got recognition all over. After that Bob Marley individually launched a new album called "no women, no cry" and that was another huge success. This song has brought Bob Marley to the world known. This album made him famous all over the world. In 1977, again he hit the country with his album "Exodus" which is known as one of the best album of Bob Marley.

Bob Marley has done such an incredible work in the field of reggae music that it has inspired so many other artist to develop this music genre as well. Today, there so many good Reggae artist are available like King tubby, Shaggy, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Jimmy cliff and so much more(the list is endless). Although, these artist are doing brilliant job in developing this genre but Bob Marley will always be know as the God father of Reggae due to his brilliant catalog and for his beliefs.

Jamaica's Reggae Music

Jamaica is an island known for its reggae music as well as its beauty. Jamaica is filled with brilliant color and flavor. This is truly evident in the diversity of its people, beaches, food, and it's music.

Jamaica's music has moved through many different variations. We have heard and seen performances of rhythms such as Dub, Ska, Congo, and Dancehall. All of these rhythms are known across the world as reggae. This music is a combination of African, American, Blues, and Jamaican folk rhythms. Though this style of music is original only to Jamaica, it is known and loved globally. This music had its origin with ska in the late 1950's right about the time Jamaica got it's independence from England.

It all started with the sound systems, and the massive open-air discos that established themselves on the streets of Kingston, Jamaica. It was in the 1970's that the late Bob Marley took this art and made it an international craze with roots reggae, which was a heavy, spiritual and conscious sound. In 2002 Bob Marley's album Exodus won album of the century. This proud, bold island had now made its mark on the world first because of its music.

In the 1990's dancehall and reggae evolved, accompanied by the opinion that it contained more offensive lyrics that would encourage street violence and dismay. However, recently I have seen and heard a recent development going back to more socially and spiritually aware lyrics known by some to be the New Roots Movement. I find that this is a good turn for music in Jamaica and the rest of the world. One of the leading producers in Jamaica, Boby Digital, said:

"If you feed people with violence they're going to be vile. If you fill them with love, they're going to be lovely."

Today you can see the great performances as the artists are showcased at events such as the Caribbean Music Expo, and Jamaica Sumfest. New Reggae artists such as Shaggy, Sean Paul, and Abijah have brought reggae even further internationally. These events usually take place on the north coast (i.e. Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay, Montego Bay, Discovery Bay) of Jamaica, and sometimes the south coast such as Negril, Jamaica.

It is highly recommended that those who are truly interested in Jamaica's culture and music attend one of these shows. Some of these stage shows can be days long, so if you can't be there for the entire show, you can catch at least one day of it.

John-David Lusan is the webmaster for Jamaican-Travel-Tips.com [http://www.jamaican-travel-tips.com] His goal is to educate and inform about Jamaica, its full range of vacation destinations, and its culture. Visit the site [http://www.jamaican-travel-tips.com] for more articles.

The Origins of Reggae Music

Caribbean music has entertained many music fans and has a great influence on the rest of the world. Music from the Caribbean islands such as Calypso, ska, rock steady and dancehall have evolved from each other and fused into what we know as reggae music. This music genre has also been influenced by elements of African rhythms and American blues. Strong bass lines and the bass drum beating characterize this music genre.

Reggae music originated from the island nation of Jamaica. This country is home to many homegrown musicians and record producers who have developed the distinctive style. Lee 'Scratch' Perry is the most famous Jamaican producer. He is responsible for launching the careers of many reggae musicians.

Artists such as Burning Spear and Horace Andy spread reggae music beyond the islands. However, none of them can match Bob Marley in terms of popularizing this music to the rest of world. No Woman, No Cry, Buffalo Soldier and Redemption Song are just some of Marley's hits. When he passed away, he enjoyed legendary status and was given a state funeral in Jamaica.

In addition to Bob Marley, Johnny Nash, Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, and other crossover singers also had success in the British pop charts. The Police, UB40, Selector, The Clash and The Specials fused reggae music with rock. In fact, one of the first multi racial groups in the UK was the British band UB40.

Social issues, such as poverty and political freedom are addressed in the lyrics of many reggae songs. These songs are the anthems of the poor who grow up in shanty towns and are still struggling to make ends meet. Some of the songs are about the beliefs of the Rastafarian religion, of which Marley was a practitioner. There are explorations of spirituality, invoking God, or Jah as he is called in some of the songs. However, some reggae songs are controversial because they defend the use of cannabis which Rastafarians advocate.

Reggae Music in all of its forms, have influenced and led on to other forms of music, namely drum and bass and hip hop. So far, nobody has taken over from Marley's mantle and rap and R & B dominate the charts at the moment. Music experts say that Reggae music needs another charismatic figure to spread the word.

This unique kind of music has achieved a lot considering that it came out of a small island with early recordings produced on basic equipment. People responded to the melodic simplicity of the music and the heartfelt lyrics. There was always a high standard of musicianship and a direct connection between the artists and the fans in reggae music. Since nobody can keep a good thing down, this Caribbean music will surely rise again.

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Reggae Music

A genre of music developed on the Jamaican shores, Reggae music is a form of music which follows rhythm and musical beats. In fact, one of the main traits of this music is that there is stress on the 2nd and 4th music beat of the melody. The guitar takes care of the third beat or the chord for the 2nd beat is held till the 4th one is played. The use of difficult bass lines and the use of speedy third beat is what differentiate the reggae from other genres of music.

Staple characteristics of Reggae melodies:

One of the most important and noteworthy musical characteristics of the reggae music is that it is played in swing time or 4/4 time. This is because of the way and the pattern of rhythms followed in a piece of music. It is characterized by the presence of simple melodies and pieces of music. So simple it is that one may sometimes find just a chord or two in the entire musical piece.

The reggae music is characterized by the use of certain instruments. These are main instruments for this form of music and are below mentioned apart from the regular vocals.

>> Drums such as the Tom-Tom and snare drums are used to create a distinct reggae feel.

>> Percussion includes the use of bongos, cowbells, shakers and the claves along with African cross rhythms.

>> Keyboards play the staccato style to add more melody to the music

>> Bass plays an extremely important role in the music of this sort

>> Guitar techniques such as skank are used and the chords played are on beat 2 and 4

>> Lyrical themes such as light criticism of the society and other person things

>> Horns are used for mainly introductions and counter melodies

Related genres and subgenres:

Dancehall, Hip Hop and Dub are said to be derivatives of the reggae music. The subgenres include Roots reggae, Lovers rock and Reggae en Español whereas the fusion genres include Reggaeton, Seggae, Reggae fusion, Samba reggae and 2 Tone. Countries like Africa, Phillipines, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria and even Poland are considered to be the hotspots for this particular genre of music.

Reggae Progression over years:

Over the years, one can find a lot of influences of other genres of music on the reggae music industry. In fact, it has been mixed with pop, rock and roll and hip hop music to create music that has enthralled music lovers over the years.

There have been many bands and solo artists who have tasted success by mixing this style of music with other genres. An example in sight is a famous music band Beatle. Their song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is a rock song with reggae inspired beats. Singers like Bunny Lee, Desmond Dekker, Clancy Eccles, Prince Buster, Larry Marshall, Johnny Nash and Jackie Mittoo are considered to be icons of this music style industry.