Ziggy Marley, a reggae maker

The oldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley and his wife Rita, David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley was the natural heir to the throne left vacant by his father’s’ untimely 1981 death. Along with backing band the Melody Makers, a unit comprised of his brothers and sisters, he successfully carried on the tradition of communicating the music’s message to a growing global audience, even socring a U.S Top 40 single in the process (a claim neither of his parents could make).

folk jamaican songs

In this article I would like to focus on folk music of Jamaica since it is regarded as the first type of music to emerge on the island. It is deeply rooted in the various cultures of every day folk. Its main purpose was to accompany activities including rituals, work and dance. Moreover, the words of Jamaican folk songs are part of the verbal tradition of the folk art of the island. Thanks to people who passed songs down through generations they became a record of their own culture and Jamaican patois. According to Olive Lewin (the author of several books who has made numerous recordings of folk music, performed by the Jamaican Folk Singers) and Ivy Baxter, the author of ‘The Arts of an Island’, we can divide Jamaican folk music into four main areas.

Jamaican music

 

Music can be a good way to express a message, an opinion through lyrics or the way to sing. In Jamaica, has been a lot of styles of music. That's why, I will try to explain only the most important styles which brought a clearly message in the moment of their appearances. I'm also going to talk about how the Jamaicans expressed their feelings, what message is brought through the different types of music and rhythms.

The Legend

Posted by J.M.Rodriguez

If we are dealing with Jamaica, we MUST mention Nesta Rober Marley, worlwide known as "Bob Marley".  When he was born on 1945, their parents,  Norval Sinclair Marley and Cedella Booker could not imagine that they were giving birth to one of the most famous artist of all the times.

Bob Marley started his carrier in 1962 recording two singles but they attracted little attention. Is in 1963 when with his band "The Teenagers" (name finally replaced by "The Wailers") he started to gain fame. Bob Marley and The Wailers recorded about 13 studio albums.

Damian Marley - Welcome To Jamrock

Posted by: Karolina Morka

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley was born in July 21, 1978. He is the youngest son of Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare (Miss World 1976) He is a three-time Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. His nickname  "Jr. Gong" is in honour of his legendary father, Bob "Tuff Gong" Marley. Damian Marley has been performing since the age of 13. He has described his music as "dancehall and reggae. He is a Rastafarian and his music reflects both his beliefs and the Rastafari guiding principles of one love, one planet, and freedom for all nations.