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Rocksteady

This article is about the Jamaican music. For the No Doubt album, see Rock Steady

Rocksteady is the name given to an era in the development of the music of Jamaica between 1966 and 1968, and to the style of music which prevailed in that era. The term comes from the Alton Ellis recording of the same name.

A result of the slowing of the ska tempo, and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady saw the formation of many of Jamaica's vocal harmony groups such as Censored page, Toots & the Maytals and The Paragons .

Rocksteady arose when young people flooded into ghettos like Riverton City , Greenwich Town and, most notoriously, Trenchtown. Though much of the country was optimistic about their future in the immediately post-independence climate, these poverty-stricken youths did not share in this sentiment. They eschewed the frenetic energy of ska, and the cultural mores of the time. Their dances were slow and menacing, and they became known as rude boys. Though Alton Ellis is generally said to be the father of rocksteady for his hit "Girl I've Got a Date", other candidates for the first rocksteady single include "Tougher Than Tough" by Derrick Morgan and "Hold Them" by Joe Gibbs. The record producer Duke Reid worked on "Girl I've Got a Date", as well as with The Techniques , The Silvertones , The Melodians , The Jamaicans and The Paragons ; his work with these groups established the sound of rocksteady records.

Rocksteady developed into reggae as bass patterns became more complex, percussion more prominent, and brass sections were replaced by the rhythm guitar.

Lyrics

Rocksteady Lyrics http://www.jamaicalyrics.com.ar/index.php?mod=search


Reggae | Reggae genres
Mento - Rocksteady - Ska
Dub - Dub poetry - Dee jaying - Dancehall - Ragga - Raggamuffin - Reggaeton - Rockers reggae - Roots rock reggae - Skinhead reggae - Two Tone
Other topics
Haile Selassie - Jamaica - Marcus Mosiah Garvey - Rastafarianism - Skinheads



Last updated: 02-27-2005 04:51:16