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History of Ska Timeline
(Late 1950s - Present)Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, combining Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Characterized by its upbeat, offbeat rhythm, ska laid the foundation for rocksteady and reggae. The genre evolved through three major waves: the original Jamaican era, the British 2 Tone movement of the late 1970s, and the American third-wave scene of the 1980s and 1990s. More Less
Origins and First Wave
Barbie Gaye records original 'My Boy Lollypop'
1956
The R&B/shuffle tune "My Boy Lollypop" was first recorded in New York in 1956 by 14-year-old Barbie Gaye, providing the song that Millie Small would later cover.
Image source: Millie Small
Early ska recordings made on soft wax dub plates
1959
The first ska recordings were initially made to be played on "soft wax", a lacquer on metal disc acetate later to become known as a "dub plate".
Image source: Ska
Cluett Johnson's greeting 'skavoovie' theory of ska's name
1959
A further theory about the origin of the word ska is that it derives from Johnson's word skavoovie, with which he was known to greet his friends.
Coxsone Dodd recording session births the ska sound
1959
At a recording session produced by Coxsone Dodd, double bassist Cluett Johnson instructed guitarist Ranglin to "play like ska, ska, ska". Ranglin later denied this account, stating that Clue couldn't tell him what to play.
Producers begin issuing ska recordings on 45 rpm discs
Jul 1, 1959 - Dec 31, 1959
As demand for the early recordings grew, sometime in the second half of 1959, believed by most to be in the last quarter, producers such as Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid began to issue these recordings on 45 rpm 7-inch discs.
Jamaican independence celebrated in ska songs
1962
The ska sound coincided with the celebratory feelings surrounding Jamaica's independence from the UK in 1962, an event commemorated by songs such as Derrick Morgan's "Forward March" and the Skatalites' "Freedom Sound".
Millie Small releases 'My Boy Lollypop'
1964
Small's rhythmically similar version of "My Boy Lollypop", released in 1964, was Jamaica's first commercially successful international hit.
Jamaican ska acts perform at New York World's Fair
1964
Byron Lee & the Dragonaires performed ska with Prince Buster, Eric "Monty" Morris, and Jimmy Cliff at the 1964 New York World's Fair, helping to bring the Jamaican sound to an international audience.
Rocksteady and Reggae Transition
Ska evolves into rocksteady
1965 - 1966
In 1965 and 1966, when American soul music became slower and smoother, ska changed its sound accordingly and evolved into rocksteady.
Rocksteady peaks
1967
Rocksteady's heyday was brief, peaking in 1967 before the genre itself gave way to a newer Jamaican sound.
Key Facts
- Ska originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, blending mento, calypso, American jazz, and R&B.
- The Skatalites, formed in 1964, were one of the first and most influential ska bands, featuring legendary trombonist Don Drummond.
- The second wave, known as 2 Tone, emerged in Coventry, England, in the late 1970s with bands like The Specials, Madness, and The Beat, often promoting racial unity.
- Third-wave ska developed in the United States in the 1980s and 1990s, mixing ska with punk rock, led by bands like Operation Ivy, Rancid, Reel Big Fish, and Less Than Jake.
- Ska heavily influenced reggae; as ska slowed down in tempo around 1968, it evolved into rocksteady and then reggae.
Source
This History of Ska timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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