Era

Ska: 1960s

The upbeat offbeat sound that launched Kingston's studio era — brass, skank guitar and sound-system culture in the early 1960s. These tracks capture ska at its peak before the tempo slowed into rocksteady.

20 tracks

  1. 1
    Guns of Navarone

    The Skatalites · Ska

  2. 2
    Israelites

    Desmond Dekker & The Aces · Reggae

  3. 3
    007 (Shanty Town)

    Desmond Dekker · Ska

  4. 4
    Humpty Dumpty

    Desmond Dekker · Ska

  5. 5
    Simmer Down

    Bob Marley · Roots Reggae

  6. 6
    Pressure Drop

    Toots & The Maytals · Reggae

  7. 7
    I'll Never Grow Old

    Toots & The Maytals · Ska

  8. 8
    Sweet and Dandy

    Toots & The Maytals · Ska

  9. 9
    Many Rivers to Cross

    Jimmy Cliff · Reggae

  10. 10
    Hard Road to Travel

    Jimmy Cliff · Reggae, Ska

  11. 11
    Give and Take

    Jimmy Cliff · Reggae, Ska

  12. 12
    Al Capone

    Prince Buster · Ska

  13. 13
    Judge Dread

    Prince Buster · Ska

  14. 14
    Fattie Fattie

    The Heptones · Rocksteady

  15. 15
    Book of Rules

    The Heptones · Rocksteady

  16. 16
    Streets of Glory

    Laurel Aitken · Ska

  17. 17
    Lonesome Traveller

    Laurel Aitken · Ska

  18. 18
    Freedom

    Laurel Aitken · Ska

  19. 19
    It Mek

    Desmond Dekker · Ska

  20. 20
    Swing and Dine

    The Melodians · Rocksteady

Related era

  • Ska — Timeline of Jamaican Music

Glossary terms

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