sirblob
2007-05-23 10:42:08 UTC
Ska (pron. IPA: [skæː]) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in
the late 1950s and was a precursor to rocksteady and reggae.[1]
Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American
jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line,
a scratchlike tempo, accented guitar, or piano rhythms on the offbeat,
and in some cases, jazz-like horn riffs. In the 1960s, ska was the
preferred music genre of rude boys (although many ska artists
condemned the violent rude boy lifestyle). Ska was also popular with
British mods and skinheads, which led artists such as Symarip, Laurel
Aitken, Desmond Dekker, and The Pioneers to aim songs at those
audiences. Music historians typically divide the history of ska into
three waves indicating a revival in the United Kingdom in the late
1970s and early 1980s, and another revival in the 1990s, mostly based
in the United States.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 History
o 1.1 2 Tone
o 1.2 Third wave ska
* 2 Footnotes
* 3 Further reading
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
[edit] History
After World War II, Jamaicans purchased radios in increasing numbers
and were able to hear rhythm and blues music from Southern United
States cities such as New Orleans by artists such as Fats Domino and
Louis Jordan. The stationing of American military forces during and
after the war meant that Jamaicans could listen to military broadcasts
of American music and there was a constant influx of records from the
US. To meet the demand for that music, entrepreneurs such as Prince
Buster, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, and Duke Reid formed sound systems. As
jump blues and more traditional R&B began to ebb in popularity in the
early 1960s, Jamaican artists began recording their own version of the
genres.[2] The new sound was initially characterised by a guitar chop
on the back beat, with horns and piano later playing the same riff.[1]
Drums kept 4/4 time and the bass drum was accented on the second and
fourth beats.[1] The upbeat sound can also be found in other Caribbean
forms of music, such as mento and calypso.[3]
One theory about the origin of ska is that Prince Buster created it
during the inaugural recording session for his new record label Wild
Bells.[3] The session was financed by Duke Reid, who was supposed to
get half of the songs to release. However, he only received one, which
was by trombonist Rico Rodriguez.[citation needed] Among the pieces
recorded were "They Got To Go" and "Shake A Leg."[citation needed]
According to reggae historian Steve Barrow, during the sessions,
Prince Buster told guitarist Jah Jerry to "change gear, man, change
gear."[citation needed] The guitar began emphasizing the second and
fourth beats in the bar, giving rise to the new sound. The first ska
recordings were created at facilities such as Studio One and WIRL
Records in Kingston, Jamaica with producers such as Dodd, Reid, Prince
Buster, and Edward Seaga.[3] There are different theories about the
origins of the word ska. Guitarist Ernest Ranglin said the offbeat
guitar scratching style that he and other musicians played was
described as "ska! ska! ska!"[citation needed] Some believe that
bassist Cluet Johnson coined the term ska when explaining the ya-ya
sound of the music.[citation needed] Johnson was known to greet his
friends with the word skavoovie, perhaps imitating American hipsters
of the era. Johnson and the Blues Blasters were Coxsone Dodd's house
band in the 1950s and early 1960s before the rise of the The
Skatalites.[citation needed]
The ska sound coincided with the celebratory feelings surrounding
Jamaica's independence from the UK in 1962; an event commemorated by
ska songs such as Derrick Morgan's "Forward March" and The Skatalites'
"Freedom Sound." Because the newly-independent Jamaica didn't ratify
the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
until 1994, copyright was not an issue which created a large number of
cover songs and reinterpretations. Jamaican musicians such as The
Skatalites often recorded instrumental ska versions of popular
American and British music, such as Beatles songs, movie theme songs,
or surf rock instrumentals. Bob Marley's band The Wailers covered the
Beatles' "And I Love Her," and radically reinterpreted Bob Dylan's
"Like a Rolling Stone." Byron Lee & the Dragonaires performed ska with
Prince Buster, Eric "Monty" Morris, and Peter Tosh at the 1964 New
York World's Fair, and Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker took ska from
Jamaica to the United Kingdom in the late 1960s.[citation needed] As
music changed in the United States, so did ska. In 1966 and 1967, when
American soul became slower and smoother, ska changed its sound
accordingly and evolved into rocksteady.[4][3]
[edit] 2 Tone
Main article: 2 Tone
The 2 Tone genre, which began in the late 1970s in England, was a
fusion of Jamaican ska rhythms and melodies with punk rock's
uncompromising lyrics and aggressive guitar chords.[4] Compared to
1960s ska, 2 Tone music had faster tempos, fuller instrumentation and
a harder edge. The genre was named after 2 Tone Records, a record
label founded by Jerry Dammers of The Specials. Although 2 Tone bands
were respectful to the original Jamaican ska artists, The Specials
failed to credit musicians such as Prince Buster, Toots & the Maytals
and Dandy Livingstone as the composers of songs on their 1979 debut
vinyl release. However, in many cases, the reworking of classic ska
songs turned the originals into hits again in the United Kingdom. The
2 Tone movement promoted racial unity at a time when racial tensions
were high in the UK. Most of the 2 Tone bands had multiracial lineups,
such as The Beat (known as English Beat in North America) and The
Selecter.[1] Although only on the 2 Tone label for one single, Madness
were one of the most effective bands at bringing the 2 Tone genre into
the mainstream. Their high public profile was partly due to the heavy
airplay of their videos on MTV and the BBC's Top of the Pops.
[edit] Third wave ska
Main articles: Third wave ska and Ska punk
In the 1980s, bands influenced by the 2 Tone ska revival began to form
in the United States and other countries.[4] The first well-known
American ska revival band was The Toasters, who played in a 2 Tone-
influenced sound and paved the way for the third wave ska movement.
Other notable early third wave ska bands included The Uptones,
Operation Ivy and Sublime. Many third wave ska bands played ska punk
(sometimes known as ska-core), which is a a fusion of ska, 2 Tone and
punk rock.[2] However, despite the rise of ska punk, some third wave
ska bands — such as Hepcat and The Slackers — continued to play in a
more traditional 1960s-influenced style. By the early 1990s, ska
revival and ska punk bands were forming throughout the United States
and many other countries. An enormous growth of the ska punk genre
occurred after the ska-core band Mighty Mighty Bosstones signed with
Mercury Records in 1993 and appeared in the film Clueless with their
first mainstream hit "Where'd You Go?". The ska-influenced pop band No
Doubt also gave the ska genre more mainstream attention. By the late
1990s, mainstream interest in third wave ska bands had waned as other
music genres gained momentum.[5] However, several of the most popular
ska punk bands have maintained a steady following in the 2000s
(although many have moved away from their earlier ska-influenced sound
to embrace various forms of rock or punk).
the late 1950s and was a precursor to rocksteady and reggae.[1]
Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American
jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line,
a scratchlike tempo, accented guitar, or piano rhythms on the offbeat,
and in some cases, jazz-like horn riffs. In the 1960s, ska was the
preferred music genre of rude boys (although many ska artists
condemned the violent rude boy lifestyle). Ska was also popular with
British mods and skinheads, which led artists such as Symarip, Laurel
Aitken, Desmond Dekker, and The Pioneers to aim songs at those
audiences. Music historians typically divide the history of ska into
three waves indicating a revival in the United Kingdom in the late
1970s and early 1980s, and another revival in the 1990s, mostly based
in the United States.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 History
o 1.1 2 Tone
o 1.2 Third wave ska
* 2 Footnotes
* 3 Further reading
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
[edit] History
After World War II, Jamaicans purchased radios in increasing numbers
and were able to hear rhythm and blues music from Southern United
States cities such as New Orleans by artists such as Fats Domino and
Louis Jordan. The stationing of American military forces during and
after the war meant that Jamaicans could listen to military broadcasts
of American music and there was a constant influx of records from the
US. To meet the demand for that music, entrepreneurs such as Prince
Buster, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, and Duke Reid formed sound systems. As
jump blues and more traditional R&B began to ebb in popularity in the
early 1960s, Jamaican artists began recording their own version of the
genres.[2] The new sound was initially characterised by a guitar chop
on the back beat, with horns and piano later playing the same riff.[1]
Drums kept 4/4 time and the bass drum was accented on the second and
fourth beats.[1] The upbeat sound can also be found in other Caribbean
forms of music, such as mento and calypso.[3]
One theory about the origin of ska is that Prince Buster created it
during the inaugural recording session for his new record label Wild
Bells.[3] The session was financed by Duke Reid, who was supposed to
get half of the songs to release. However, he only received one, which
was by trombonist Rico Rodriguez.[citation needed] Among the pieces
recorded were "They Got To Go" and "Shake A Leg."[citation needed]
According to reggae historian Steve Barrow, during the sessions,
Prince Buster told guitarist Jah Jerry to "change gear, man, change
gear."[citation needed] The guitar began emphasizing the second and
fourth beats in the bar, giving rise to the new sound. The first ska
recordings were created at facilities such as Studio One and WIRL
Records in Kingston, Jamaica with producers such as Dodd, Reid, Prince
Buster, and Edward Seaga.[3] There are different theories about the
origins of the word ska. Guitarist Ernest Ranglin said the offbeat
guitar scratching style that he and other musicians played was
described as "ska! ska! ska!"[citation needed] Some believe that
bassist Cluet Johnson coined the term ska when explaining the ya-ya
sound of the music.[citation needed] Johnson was known to greet his
friends with the word skavoovie, perhaps imitating American hipsters
of the era. Johnson and the Blues Blasters were Coxsone Dodd's house
band in the 1950s and early 1960s before the rise of the The
Skatalites.[citation needed]
The ska sound coincided with the celebratory feelings surrounding
Jamaica's independence from the UK in 1962; an event commemorated by
ska songs such as Derrick Morgan's "Forward March" and The Skatalites'
"Freedom Sound." Because the newly-independent Jamaica didn't ratify
the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
until 1994, copyright was not an issue which created a large number of
cover songs and reinterpretations. Jamaican musicians such as The
Skatalites often recorded instrumental ska versions of popular
American and British music, such as Beatles songs, movie theme songs,
or surf rock instrumentals. Bob Marley's band The Wailers covered the
Beatles' "And I Love Her," and radically reinterpreted Bob Dylan's
"Like a Rolling Stone." Byron Lee & the Dragonaires performed ska with
Prince Buster, Eric "Monty" Morris, and Peter Tosh at the 1964 New
York World's Fair, and Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker took ska from
Jamaica to the United Kingdom in the late 1960s.[citation needed] As
music changed in the United States, so did ska. In 1966 and 1967, when
American soul became slower and smoother, ska changed its sound
accordingly and evolved into rocksteady.[4][3]
[edit] 2 Tone
Main article: 2 Tone
The 2 Tone genre, which began in the late 1970s in England, was a
fusion of Jamaican ska rhythms and melodies with punk rock's
uncompromising lyrics and aggressive guitar chords.[4] Compared to
1960s ska, 2 Tone music had faster tempos, fuller instrumentation and
a harder edge. The genre was named after 2 Tone Records, a record
label founded by Jerry Dammers of The Specials. Although 2 Tone bands
were respectful to the original Jamaican ska artists, The Specials
failed to credit musicians such as Prince Buster, Toots & the Maytals
and Dandy Livingstone as the composers of songs on their 1979 debut
vinyl release. However, in many cases, the reworking of classic ska
songs turned the originals into hits again in the United Kingdom. The
2 Tone movement promoted racial unity at a time when racial tensions
were high in the UK. Most of the 2 Tone bands had multiracial lineups,
such as The Beat (known as English Beat in North America) and The
Selecter.[1] Although only on the 2 Tone label for one single, Madness
were one of the most effective bands at bringing the 2 Tone genre into
the mainstream. Their high public profile was partly due to the heavy
airplay of their videos on MTV and the BBC's Top of the Pops.
[edit] Third wave ska
Main articles: Third wave ska and Ska punk
In the 1980s, bands influenced by the 2 Tone ska revival began to form
in the United States and other countries.[4] The first well-known
American ska revival band was The Toasters, who played in a 2 Tone-
influenced sound and paved the way for the third wave ska movement.
Other notable early third wave ska bands included The Uptones,
Operation Ivy and Sublime. Many third wave ska bands played ska punk
(sometimes known as ska-core), which is a a fusion of ska, 2 Tone and
punk rock.[2] However, despite the rise of ska punk, some third wave
ska bands — such as Hepcat and The Slackers — continued to play in a
more traditional 1960s-influenced style. By the early 1990s, ska
revival and ska punk bands were forming throughout the United States
and many other countries. An enormous growth of the ska punk genre
occurred after the ska-core band Mighty Mighty Bosstones signed with
Mercury Records in 1993 and appeared in the film Clueless with their
first mainstream hit "Where'd You Go?". The ska-influenced pop band No
Doubt also gave the ska genre more mainstream attention. By the late
1990s, mainstream interest in third wave ska bands had waned as other
music genres gained momentum.[5] However, several of the most popular
ska punk bands have maintained a steady following in the 2000s
(although many have moved away from their earlier ska-influenced sound
to embrace various forms of rock or punk).