In the late 1950s and early 1960s, musicians in Jamaica fused their Jamaican folk music (called "mento") with American jazz and R&B to create the "ska" genre. By the mid-1960s, the signature upbeat tempo of ska had slowed somewhat into what was termed "rock steady" music. This genre featured soulful singers and free-ranging bass lines. In 1968, rock steady segued into more of a one-drop rhythm, which yielded what we know as reggae music.
While the reggae genre dates to 1960s Jamaica, its specific origin cannot be tied to one person or locale.
Toots and the Maytals' "Do the Reggay," released in 1968, marked one of the earliest appearances of the word in a song. Reggae placed its own spin on traditional rock music by giving the guitar most of the rhythmic emphasis, while the bass focused on more melodic musical patterns.
Jamaica's Jimmy Cliff was the first reggae musician to attain true worldwide stardom, due in part to his starring role in the hit 1972 film "The Harder They Come." Cliff also performed the movie's title track, while the film's soundtrack predominantly features reggae tunes. Cliff still records and has released more than 25 albums during his career.
While Cliff helped usher reggae into the mainstream, no one paved the way for the movement more than Bob Marley. The Jamaican-born musician came to fame in the 1970s on the strength of music that focused on his Rastafari religion, cultural empowerment and marijuana use. While Marley died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, his compilation album, "Legend," was released in 1984 and has sold more than 10 million copies.
The art of "deejaying" was derived from reggae. A "deejay," according to Jamaican tradition, is someone who talks or raps over music. To this day, deejaying is a popular profession in clubs worldwide, particularly in America. Other musical styles and genres to come from reggae include "lover's rock" (crooning over romance-themed guitars) and "rockers" (late 1970s style that features cymbals).
Some of the more internationally renowned pop artists to sample from the genre include The Police, No Doubt, Sublime, and Elvis Costello.