Great Topic. Im glad that I found this website. What I've read from interviews with various artists is that the word 'reggae' was used in some circles to refer to 'loose women' prior to Toots song "Do the reggay". But as far as the music that we call 'reggae', that seems to have come about in the late sixties when rocksteady was still ruling the Jamaican music scene.
Personally, I have a difficult time in knowing exactly what is rocksteady and what is reggae when listening to the music from that era but Im not a musician so I dont know what is meant by phrases like down beat etc. One thing that will help me is for others to tell me what is considered to be Bob Marley's first reggae song.
The first song of Bobs that seems 'reggae' to me is "Caution". And then right after that, he signed up with Scratch and put out really good obvious reggae songs like "Man to man", "Sun is Shining" and Peters "Downpresser man". Would anybody consider any of Bobs earlier stuff to be reggae or do you agree that his stuff prior to Scratch is rocksteady? (Except for the Kong produced "caution" which I consider to be the first GREAT reggae song)
Thanks and Im glad I found this forum. I only really discovered reggae less than a year ago but Im hopelessly addicted. )))
In 1962 by Ras Cardo of Trench Town and this is truth which no one seems to know except the few brethrens who were there in the tenement yards. I have met and spoken to several of the guys who grew up with Ras cardo and they all confrimed this and said he was a teacher to many while still a trench town youth himself. The late Junior Braithwaite told me this personally in Kingston in the presence of Ras Cardo along King street. I have seen video and written evidence from peoples of Trench town to verify what Ras cardo says. I can tell the world that Ras cardo created it and he has the evidence, with copyrights and all.
This topic don't even need a discussion for I know from the days of growing up with those youths in Trench town who created what and who did what.
Ras Cardo told the world this truth years ago. See the Jamaica Daily gleaner in December 1992. See it again in April 1998- I coined Reggae -Scott. It is shown all over. Ras cardo was an original wailing wailer from Trench Town. He has the detailed history.He has the copyrights for his creation. He has the testimonials from man like Joe Higgs, Junior Braithwaite and many Trench Town people the world do not even know about. If you really want the true history he is the man to see. The man has the real deal of truth long before Bob came into the area to live among them. The truth is there to see from Ras cardo. Lets stop the jibbering nonesense and seek the source of truth. Ras cardo created and helped to start the genre of the music. What is so difficult to understand in this truth?
what was the first reggae song? open to debate. what was the first dub album? open to debate too. was jammys sleng teng or black scorpio's lazy body the first digi track?
one thing is for sure, plenty people claim to be the originator of every style through the years. because as soon as a record hits, theres version galore following straight away. and everyone claims to be the first.
i think the facts are lost to history, and to be honest, i think its better that way, makes it more interesting.
the style of music that i would call skinhead reggae came from around late 68 early 69. the bouncy organ driven beat. of course the style changed again a year or so later, and again after that, and still is changing to the present day. and so the debates will go on forever more. maytals 54 46 from 1968 was totally different beat than rocksteady from the year before, but also much different from pressure drop, monkey man, sweet and dandy etc from 1969. so for me i always think of that period as the starting point of reggae. my twopence worth.
Grace wrote:In 1962 by Ras Cardo of Trench Town and this is truth which no one seems to know except the few brethrens who were there in the tenement yards. I have met and spoken to several of the guys who grew up with Ras cardo and they all confrimed this and said he was a teacher to many while still a trench town youth himself. The late Junior Braithwaite told me this personally in Kingston in the presence of Ras Cardo along King street. I have seen video and written evidence from peoples of Trench town to verify what Ras cardo says. I can tell the world that Ras cardo created it and he has the evidence, with copyrights and all.
He also claims to be an expert radiographer who knows about all the terrible things that go in American x-ray rooms. And he claims to have invented reggae before anyone was even playing reggae. He also tries to make money by selling books based on these claims. Make up your own minds.
Reggae is the common name since mid-68 of the popular type of music recorded in Jamaica.
It wasn't "invented" by anybody.
Musically is an evolution of many influences during a period of decades ( centuries really) of musical styles (same as Jazz, Soul, Rock & Roll, Blues and EVERY style of music....)
Musical styles aren't "invented", they evolve. Same as the languages we speak, they never remain the same.
I gather from all the above responses that so many of you are either ignorant of truth or just blinding your eyes to the truth. The question I have to all of you is this- Were you in trench town when all those youths including Ras Cardo were living there? If not then why dont you listen to what I have told you. I have met and spoken to about a dozen or more Trench Town youths( now fully grown man who told me what I have told you. I was skeptical myself until they all confirmed this to me. Do you know of Junior Braithwaite? Well he told me this. I went into trench town myself and spoke to several peoples. I have seen the copyrights which are no forgeries. He also showed this to the Jamaica daily Gleaner reporter and lots of other official peoples who have verified his story. Musical styles never evolve they are created. Things can merge, but they must first come from a created source. Reggae is not evolution of the species.
I noticed that I do not hear anyone saying that Ras Cardo did not come from Trench Town, and yes he is a legally qualified and certified x-ray professional. He is an expert in Radiography/Radiology sciences. He graduated from schools after studying this. Wise up, the man is only trying to help his people and he is not all about himself and his accomplishments of which he could boast. He has paid his dues and still never turns his back on where he came from. He is never a hypocrite or a sell out. He writes and speaks volumes for his people. those who want facts must come forward and present what they have. So far all you are doing is talking. Get the facts. Get the truth. Ras Cardo came from Trench Town and has done his works. He has the facts and truths about the origins and foundation legends of reggae.
hi grace. i dont think anyone is disputing whether ras cardo came from trench town or not. or what he has copyrights to. the thread is called 'when was reggae invented'. and i'm sure most participants are discussing when the sytle of music that is known as reggae started. the style that followed ska and rocksteady, at the end of the 60's.
if it was played earlier in the decade i'm sure it would have been recorded or would have caught on quicker.maybe the name was thought up, but as i said we're discussing the style of music.
Coining a word and "creating" a musical style is not the same.
Flamenco, Blues, Jazz, Soul, Rock, Salsa, House, Grime, Jungle, Punk, Opera, etc......... those words existed well before they were use to describe a musical style.
Personally I couldn't care less about who coined the word Reggae/Reggay. I'm into the musicology, not the marketing.
Musical styles evolve all the time. Reggae from 68 doesn't sound like reggae from 72, or 77, or 2000.
There was a lot of music in Jamaica before Wailing Wailers or Marley, were even born. Names come and go and are misused by the marketing operators....but the music keeps evolving.
)))