| THE FIRST WAVE |
| After World War II, England was slowly falling apart and eventually "began granting independence to its dominions as dictated by pressure from the colonial people" (Rosenthal 1). By 1962, Jamaica was self-governing and was exploring new ideas in culture and music that reflected their newfound optimism and liberation. Musicians were trying to find "a new sound that was distinctively Jamaican" (DeRogatis 77). They began experimenting with music styles such as R&B, jazz, mento, and calypso in order "to make music that would be uplifting and energizing so that people could smile-and dance" (DeRogatis 77). Cecil Bustamente Campbell, later known as Prince Buster, was one of these musicians, credited with inventing ska. He "had his guitarist Jah Jerry emphasize the afterbeat instead of the downbeat" (Rosenthal 2). The famous guitar upbeat was found and ska was born! Ska began taking definate shape with the drums emphasizing the 2nd and 4th beats, while the guitar and horns emphasized the "and" or upbeats. Eventually, the guitar was the only instrument emphasizing the upbeats, because the horns diverted from that route with different rhythms, melodies, etc. "Ska was an immediate hit with the Jamaicans" (VanHoof: The Beginning 1). They had finally achieved creating their own musical sound. Some of the famous artists sprung from this time include the Skatalites, Prince Buster, Laurel Aitken, Phyllis Dillon, Desmond Dekker, and others. In the mid 60's, Jamaica's ghettos began "filling up with youths looking for work that did not exist" (Rosenthal 1). They were also feeling ostracized from the scene and did not share in the same optimism as the other ska fanatics. These youths eventually became named "rudeboys" because even though society was telling them that they would never amount to anything, they were making themselves important by intimidation. The rudeboys took ska and fit it to their own personal style "with more tension in the bass as opposed to the previous free-walking bass style" (Rosenthal 1) and less optimistic lyrics. The rudeboys would also frequently attend Dance Halls to listen to the popular ska music played there. On a lot of occasions, the rudeboys would get out of hand wreaking havoc. They became known as dance hall crashers. Towards the beginning of the 60's, some Jamaicans immigrated to England bringing the ska influences with them. As in Jamaica, it "became popular with youths in the lower social classes-this time skinheads (of the non-racist variety)" (Ska: The First Wave 1). The original skinheads in Jamaica were working class people who shaved their heads "because they worked in the factories during the day and did whatever they could to stay cool and clean in those hot, sweaty environs" (DeRogatis 78). The style was mimicked "when the music moved to England" (DeRogatis 78). The non-racist skinheads are still around and are referred to as SHARPs (Skindheads Against Racial Prejudice). The SHARPs reinstated the positive message of Ska. In England, ska became known as "blue beat," and inspired the name of the "Blue Beat" record company, which at the time marketed ska acts. During the summer of 1966, it was terribly hot, and often, fights would break out between the rudeboys and the skinheads or between the rudeboys and the police. "By October, a curfew was being enforced in Kingston," (Ska: The First Wave 1) a sign that ska was dying out by force. Also during that summer, it was too hot to dance, so bands "began to gradually slow the music down. This went on until it wasn't ska anymore" (Ska: The First Wave 1). Ska had evolved into "rocksteady" and eventually "reggae," which obviously became more well-known than ska. The first wave had come to an end, but in 1979, musicians began experimenting once again, and the 2-Tone Ska era was born. |