This page is about the musical style. For Square Kilometre Array, see SKA.

Ska is a form of Jamaican music which began as early as the 1930s. Combining elements of traditional mento and calypso with an American jazz and rhythm and blues sound, it was a precursor in Jamaica to rocksteady and later reggae. It is the predominant form of music listened to by Rudeboys. It is also popular with Mods and Skinheads, with artists such as Symarip, Laurel Aitken, Desmond Dekker and The Pioneers aiming songs at these groups as early as the 1960s.

Musical historians typically divide the history of ska into three waves. There was revival of note in England in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and another wave of popularity in the 1990s, mostly based in the United States.

First Wave

After World War II, Jamaicans purchased radios in increasing numbers, and were able to hear American R&B from southern cities like New Orleans, by artists such as Fats Domino. To meet the demand for such music, entrepreneurs like Prince Buster, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, and Duke Reid formed sound systems, which were portable discotheques. Sound system operators were able to obtain records from Miami and New Orleans, and these records were hot commodities in Jamaica. Sound system operators often removed labels from the most popular records in order to enjoy a monopoly on the best-liked tunes and draw the most customers.

When New Orleans-style R&B fell out of favor by 1960, Jamaican artists began recording their own version of the genre. The ska sound is known for the placement of the accented guitar and piano rhythms on the upbeats. Some believe that the early jazz and rock 'n' roll broadcasts from American radio stations were misinterpreted by an eager Jamaican music audience, hence the off-beat rhythms that almost mimick the breakup of weak radio signals that hit the West Indian shores. Others consider ska not a misinterpretation, but its own response to American music. The upbeat sound of ska coincided with the celebratory feelings surrounding Jamaica's independence from the UK in 1962, an event commemorated by ska songs such as Derrick Morgan's "Forward March" and the Skatalites' "Freedom Sound".

The first ska recordings were created at facilities like Studio One and WIRL Records in Kingston, Jamaica by producers like Dodd, Reid, Prince Buster, and Edward Seaga (later Jamaica's prime minister). Ska was showcased at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Byron Lee & the Dragonaires were selected as the band for the occasion, and Prince Buster, Eric "Monty" Morris, and Peter Tosh performed with them. Prince Buster and U-Roy of Jamaica brought ska to the UK in the early 1960s.

The word "ska" may have onomatopoeic origins in a tradition of poetic or possibly musical rhythms. Guitarist Ernest Ranglin said that the offbeat guitar scratching that he and other musicians played was referred to as "skat! skat! skat!" Some believe that Cluet Johnson coined the term. Bassist Johnson and the Blues Blasters were Coxsone Dodd's house band in the 1950s and early 1960s before the rise of the Skatalites.

In explaining the 'ya-ya' sound of the music & rhythm being made, the word 'ska' popped out. This may be because he greeted all his friends as 'skavoovie', perhaps imitating American hipsters of the era. One other theory is that it was merely an abbreviation of the term "speed calypso", which may be an accurate description of the music.

As music changed in America, so did ska. For example, ska was influenced by jazz and rock 'n' roll. Groups like Clement Dodd's house band, The Skatalites, often did instrumental ska versions of popular American and British music, such as Beatles tunes, movie themes, or surf instrumentals.

In 1966 and 1967, when American soul became slower and smoother, ska changed its sound accordingly and evolved into rocksteady, with the bass playing more varied rhythms, more emphasis on the downbeat, and more soulful vocals. Some historians suggest that the popularity of rocksteady's slower tempo was a result of an exceptionally warm summer in 1966, during which dancers were physically too hot to dance to the uptempo numbers. Some notable rocksteady musicians were the Supersonics (house band at the Treasure Isle recording studio) and the Soul Vendors (house band at Studio One).

Some notable rocksteady vocalists were the Melodians, who scored a hit with 'Rivers of Babylon', the Paragons, the Heptones (one of the most popular vocal groups in Jamaica in the late 60s), The Ethiopians, and Desmond Dekker, who did a number of rocksteady songs during the late 1960s. The Maytals, another popular vocal group, were the first to use the term 'reggae' in a song title with their hit "Do the Reggay". Rocksteady lasted until the emergence of reggae in 1968.

Second Wave

Main article: 2 Tone

The Two Tone (or 2 Tone) era was named after the label 2 Tone Records, founded by Jerry Dammers, keyboardist of The Specials. The Two Tone sound combined Jamaican ska rhythms and melodies with punk rock's uncompromising lyrics and aggressive guitar chords. Two Tone recordings are characterized by faster tempos, fuller instrumentation and a harder edge than original 50's and 60’s ska.

The record label’s name had a double meaning; it referred to two tone tonic suits that some of the original Jamaican ska musicians and rude boys wore, and the second was to signify the multi-racial membership of most of the bands on the label, such as The Beat (known as English Beat in the US) and The Selecter. The Two Tone movement promoted racial unity at a time when racial tensions at a high point in the UK. One of the symbols of the Two Tone movement was a black and white checkerboard pattern.

Two Tone bands were respectful to the original Jamaican ska artists, although the Specials notably failed to credit Prince Buster, Toots and the Maytals, Dandy Livingstone or Andy and Joe as original authors of songs on their 1979 debut vinyl release. However, the reworking of classic ska tracks in many cases turned them into hits again. The Jamaican artist Prince Buster made more money from royalties from cover versions than he earned from his own records.

The band to do the most to bring two-tone to the public eye in the UK was Madness, whose highly entertaining videos were heavily included on early MTV and on the BBC's influential music show "Top of the Pops".

Third Wave

Main article: Third wave of ska

When Two Tone ska appeared in the UK in the late 1970s and early 1980s, ska groups also started forming in the United States and other countries. Two of the earliest, and longest-lived, American ska bands are The Toasters and Bim Skala Bim. Bands like Operation Ivy and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones can be credited with popularizing ska-core and ska punk, a fusion of punk rock or hardcore and ska.

By the early 1990s, "third wave" pop-ska bands were appearing throughout the USA and many other countries. An enormous growth of the third wave ska movement occurred after the The Mighty Mighty Bosstones signed with Mercury Records in 1993 (following the hit "Where'd You Go?"), and the release of No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom' in 1995. By the late 1990s, however, mainstream interest in ska had waned almost completely, after having first been supplanted by the swing revival.

Some of the other most popular and longlasting third wave punk-ska bands are Less Than Jake, The Suicide Machines, Reel Big Fish, Fishbone, The Aquabats and The Planet Smashers. Chronologically, bands like The Allstonians, The Slackers and Hepcat can be classified as third wave groups, although their sound is similar to that of 1960s Jamaica. The third wave of ska also includes a number of Christian ska bands. Four of the more popular and recognized Christian ska bands are Five Iron Frenzy, The W's, The O.C. Supertones, and The Insyderz.

Ska Today

Main article: The Ska Scene Today

As the entire music industry shifts due to the growth of smaller, independent labels and the ability to span the world with music through the internet, ska continues as an underground music scene. From the global perspective, the legendary band, The Toasters, continue to tour internationally. Ska bands from around the world, especially in Japan, have also made an underground scene for themselves.

In the US, the release of Megalith Records' Still Standing allowed regional and national ska bands to once again unite, similar to the touring connections made in the 90's. Ska festivals such as Summer of Ska and International Ska Circus on the West Coast and Three Floors of Ska and Ska Weekend on the East Coast have allowed bands from both sides of the country to perform as a genre on a larger scale. Bands like Big D and the Kids Table, Catch 22, Streetlight Manifesto, Deal's Gone Bad and Bomb Town have increased over popularity in the last few years and have helped maintain the scene. The return performances of bands like The Skatalites and The Skeletones at the International Ska Circus have also shown some promise for growth in the scene.

Lastly, regional bands such as Suburban Legends on the West Coast and The Taj Motel Trio on the East Coast, as well as the growth of local ska scenes throughout the country, have, again, allowed the scene some growth. However, it will take wide public acceptance and a stroke of luck for the ska scene to again see the popularity it once saw in the 90's.

See also

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• List of ska musicians
• Ska punk
• Two tone
• Reggae
• Blue Beat

External links

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• Ska on Squidoo
• Ska and Punk Bands on Listible
• The Origins of Ska, Reggae, and Dub Music
• About Ska in Jamaica
• The Untold Story of Jamaican Popular Music by Lloyd Dewar
• The History of Ska Music by Ian Vanhoof
• Skahoo Ska International Search Engine
• ska-times ska agenda international, ska concerts, ska festivals, blue dances and more ska stuff
• Ska FAQ
• 4th Wave Toronto Ska Zine
• Turn Up the Ska! Streaming Ska 24/7
• Ska Association of Estonia
• Russian Ska

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