Reggae Memories

06-2026

Studio One Records

There is a building on Brentford Road in Kingston, Jamaica, that changed the sound of the world. It was not a grand building. It was not a famous address, at least not at first. But from the early 1960s onward, through the ska era, through rocksteady, through the golden age of roots reggae and beyond, *Studio One* — the label, the studio, and the vision of one extraordinary man — became the most important institution in the history of Jamaican music. They called it the University of Reggae.

05-2026

Burning Spear

There are voices in reggae that entertain. And then there is the voice of Burning Spear — a voice that commands, warns, mourns, and refuses, above all, to be silent. For more than five decades, Winston Rodney has carried the fire of Marcus Garvey's message, the weight of African history, and the conscience of an entire musical movement on his shoulders. He did not do it for fame. He did it because he believed no one else would.

05-2026

Ernie Smith

The velvet voice Jamaica will never forget. His deep, velvet baritone simply settled into the soul — and stayed there.

04-2026

Exodus (1977)

In 1999, Time magazine named Exodus the Album of the Century. Spend an hour with this record, and you begin to understand why.

01-2026

The Rise of Dancehall

Dancehall transformed reggae into a high-energy global phenomenon. Unlike traditional roots reggae, dancehall focused on DJs, sound systems, and live performances, creating a vibrant and interactive music scene.

01-2026

Lover's Rock Era

Lovers Rock, developed in the late 70s and 80s, is often dubbed as romantic reggae. It is the sub-genre of reggae that has captured hearts across generations.

01-2026

The Rocksteady Era

It lasted less than two years. It left behind no era-defining superstar, no global anthem, no single image the world would remember forever. And yet without The Rocksteady Era — those twenty-four extraordinary months between the summer of 1966 and the spring of 1968 — there would be no reggae as we know it, no Bob Marley as the world came to love him, and no Jamaican music with the power to speak to every corner of the earth. Rocksteady was the quiet revolution. The hinge between what came before and everything that followed.

12-2025

The Birth of Reggae

Close your eyes and imagine Kingston in the late 1960s: warm Caribbean air, crowded streets, sound systems shaking zinc fences, and a bassline so deep it feels like the heartbeat of the island itself. Out of that atmosphere came one of the most powerful musical movements the world has ever known — **reggae**.

Latest from the Blog

Studio One Records

Burning Spear

Ernie Smith

Exodus (1977)

The Rise of Dancehall

Lover's Rock Era

The Rocksteady Era

The Birth of Reggae

Menu

Contact Details

Social Media