Reggae music was founded in the 1960s, developing from ‘rocksteady’ styles and the already popular mento, ska, and R&B genres of the time.  The 1968 track, Long Shot (Bus’ Me Bet), by The Pioneers is credited as the first recording of a reggae track.  The sound proved so popular that it was influencing the biggest genres and groups of the time, The Beatles’ Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da is one such example.

Jamaican Influence and Pioneers

All of the early reggae pioneers were from Jamaica.  Bob Marley and the Wailers are probably recognized as the most influential reggae band, and already enjoyed widespread popularity as they’d been successful through the other movements and styles that were moving through the country at the time.

Chris Blackwell, a Briton, founded Island Records in 1959 while in Jamaica, which would become the label for all of the emerging stars at the time, and remains a stronghold of reggae and R&B musicians to this day.

The Harder They Come

In the early 1970s, reggae would become more exposed to a global audience.  In 1973, The Harder They Come, a Jamaican crime film, would heavily feature reggae music, as well as having Jimmy Cliff, a famous reggae artist, as the lead.

While the film helped reggae become popular around the world, the tipping point for many was the 1974 Eric Clapton cover of the classic Marley track “I Shot the Sheriff,” which retained all of the reggae elements of the original combined with Clapton’s genius on the guitar, and would become played in homes and by radio stations around the world.  Suddenly, reggae music, and in particular Marley, was in front of a global audience and in a position to become a huge influence.

Reggae in the UK

Punk rock would become popular in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, and would be a huge influence on artists like The Clash, while popular London DJ’s of the time would play reggae tracks and even hold dedicated genre-specific events at clubs like The Roxy, which once stood in Covent Garden.  In addition to these bands, others from the UK, UB40 being the most famous, would start to develop their own distinct reggae sound and inspirations.

Reggae’s Legacy

Reggae is everywhere you look in R&B and associated music genres today.  Many of the biggest acts of today and the last 20 years in this genre credit reggae, and Bob Marley in particular, as being a huge influence and inspiration to their work.

In addition, reggae has spawned sub-genres of music around the world, with various cultures creating their own distinct take on reggae and making it a part of their culture.

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