The First Reggae Songs?
Updated: Feb 5, 2025
Reggae Month is 28 days but it may not have made it even a week if it were not for these two songs...
The transition from rocksteady to ska in the late 60s was marked by the move away from a distinctive, soulful melodies with links to American R&B. Reggae, in turn, was more dependent on the rhythm section to drive it. Who or what caused the switch? While Duke Reid’s Trojan enjoyed the top position among sound systems thanks to his primary role in rocksteady, all the sounds of the day were battling for control of the trends. The front runners, Downbeat and Trojan, both were controlled by label owners who released two of the earliest examples of reggae–Larry Marshall’s “Nanny Goat” released by Studio One and the Beltones’ “No More Heartaches” released by Duke Reid.
