The Story of Jamaican Music

The music was loud and the beat pulsating, the crowd cheered even before he started to sing. Everyone knew the tune and was in anticipation of the song. Then slowly the unmistakable voice of Robert Marley comes up and he sings/says almost comfortingly, “No Woman no Cry.” The crowd cheers again. For many people when they think of Jamaica and Jamaican music, they think instinctively one word ‘reggae.’ That big sound that has come from this tiny island nation has swept the globe taking many captive to its steady beat.

What defines Jamaican music? Some would define in one word reggae, but others would contend that reggae is not the only music played and loved by Jamaicans. There are several others, classical music, jazz, calypso and dancehall are all forms of music enjoyed and created by many Jamaicans.

The types of music that bring pleasure to Jamaicans, like so many other aspects of Jamaican life are a blend of many different cultures. Reggae, although a music indigenous to Jamaica, was born from other sounds of African and European mixes, and was strongly influenced by sounds that came about in the new world.