Rocksteady
Slower, bass-forward soul — a brief but deeply influential window.
Rocksteady slows ska's tempo and foregrounds bass and harmony vocals. The style flourishes for roughly two years before evolving into early reggae, but its vocal groups and studio bands remain touchstones.
Note: Rocksteady's exact end date is debated; late 1968 is a common marker.
- Slower tempo than ska
- Bass-forward mix
- Soulful vocal harmonies
Key artists
12Producers
4Labels
4Riddims
12Listen — albums & songs
20- Action!
- Early Days
- Evening Time
- Greetings From The Pioneers
- Intensified
- Mr. Rock Steady
- She Was a Rough Rider
- Sweet and Dandy
- Count Me In
- Roots Reggae Music
- More Love
- Against The Grain
- De-Stress
- I Love You Still
- Fade Away
- Invasion
- Counterfeit Love
- Lost in Dreams
- Sweet Reggae Music
- Morning Of My Life
Island Chronicle
8- Horace Hinds, later to change his name to Horace Andy first ever record, "Black Man's Country" was produced by Phil Prat
- The Heptones debut single, "Gunmen Coming to Town" was released on Ken Lack's Caltone Records label in 1966
- Vintage Poster: 1966 'The Sparkling Stage Show' featuring Derrick Harriott, The Techniques, The Maytals & more
- Roy Shirley recorded "Hold Them" in 1966, which became the first 'one-drop' recording, providing the cornerstone of the
- In 1966 Derrick Harriott started his own record sop in Kingston located at 125 King Street, where he started to distribu
- Bob Andy's first solo hit record was "I've Got to Go Back Home," (Studio One) in 1966.
- "Fattie Fattie" was The Heptones first Studio One single in 1966
- Bob Andy’s first solo hit record was "I've Got to Go Back Home" (1966)
This Day in Jamaican Music
4News & culture
2More links as the archive grows.
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