Reggae Facts For Kids

Reggae is a style of music that began in Jamaica in the late 1960s. It has a steady beat that makes people nod their heads and often a warm, deep bass sound that you can feel. Reggae songs can be about many things: love, fun, everyday life, and messages about fairness and hope.

A popular song by Toots and the Maytals in 1968 helped give the music its name. Today, reggae includes music made in Jamaica and from people who moved from Jamaica to other countries, so you can hear reggae all around the world.

Reggae is closely tied to the ideas and music of Rastafari, a movement that began in Jamaica and teaches pride in African roots and peaceful living. Because of this link, reggae songs often share messages about justice, unity, and spiritual beliefs.

Singers use Jamaican Patois or English, and many songs talk about everyday life, politics, love, and joy. Musicians are often seen as storytellers or messengers who help people think about important things while they enjoy the music.

Reggae grew out of older Jamaican styles like mento, ska, and rocksteady. Mento is an older island folk music, ska is fast with bright horns, and rocksteady slowed things down and made room for singing.

Reggae also borrows from African drumming patterns and from other kinds of music such as rhythm and blues and jazz. The beliefs and music of the Rastafari movement in Jamaica added rhythms, songs, and a strong sense of meaning. Together these pieces mixed into the new sound we call reggae.

Reggae often has a slower, relaxed tempo than ska. You will notice a special rhythm where short guitar or piano chords are played on the offbeat — that means between the main beats — giving reggae a bouncy feel.

The bass guitar is very important in reggae. It plays deep, catchy lines that you can feel in your chest. Drums and bass work together like a heartbeat, and singers often use call-and-response lines, where a lead voice sings and others answer. Organs and short keyboard fills add a warm, shuffling sound.

Reggae left Jamaica and mixed with other cultures around the world. In Panama and many parts of Latin America, artists created Reggae en Español, singing reggae in Spanish. In the UK, reggae mixed with local styles and helped start a softer sound called lovers rock.

Other places made new blends: Brazil mixed reggae with samba to make samba-reggae, and cities in the United States like Los Angeles and San Diego built active reggae scenes with bands that tour a lot. Reggae’s steady beat and strong messages helped it become a global music that communities make their own.

In the late 1960s, Jamaican musicians slowed the beat of rocksteady and added new drum and bass patterns to create reggae. Some of the first records that people call true reggae appeared around 1968. Singers and bands like The Wailers moved through ska and rocksteady on their way to making classic reggae music.

Producers, record labels, and visiting artists helped reggae travel beyond Jamaica. A few songs reached foreign music charts and the sound began to appear in recordings in the United Kingdom and the United States, which helped the new style grow.