A Brief History of Jamaican Music
No matter what you listen to whether it’s mento, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub music, dancehall, reggae fusion, or the other varies of Jamaican music they all go back to a little 1907 that very few have heard. Walter Jekyll’s Jamaican Song and Story , is the oldest known recording of Jamaican folk music. This early recording is where all styles of Jamaican music starts.These songs would later be blended into the styles we know now. The Mento , movement started with by Stanley Motta who mixed traditionally Jamaican folk music with calypso to come up with his own style. This mixing of traditional Jamaican folk music were blended together for years into other genres.The blending of Jamaican mento and american soul music blended into what is now more commonly known as reggae. This form of music was made popular by Bob Marley and The Whalers. This is what most people think of when they think of Jamaican music.This later turned into dance hall music which has had popularity in recent years. These have been mixed with american rap in order to produce new beats. Now however you choose to listen to Jamaican music or the style you listen to it all goes back to mento , www.mentomusic.com .