Many people associate Jamaica with reggae music, but before reggae there was ska and rock steady. Ska originated in the 1950s by Jamaican Sound Systems emulating North American R & B, especially the sounds from New Orleans, Memphis and Miami. Flavored with mento, the music quickly assumed a uniquely Jamaican up-tempo beat that became known as ska. Mento is a Jamaican form of music similar to Trinidad's calypso. Simply put, ska is a fusion of Jamaican mento and American R & B. The 1959 recording of Easy Snapping by Theophelus Beckford is considered by some to be the first ska record, though several artists claim to have invented the ska sound. Prominent singer and producer Prince Buster is among those who claim to have invented ska.
Don Drummond and The Skatalites did much to popularize ska. The Skatalites played on hundreds of records and are regarded by many as the greatest ska band even though they were together for just 14 months (1964-65). The Skatalites reformed again in the 1980s. Other popular artists of the ska era include Derrick Morgan, Laurel Aitkin, and Owen Gray. Many well-known reggae artists such as Bob Marley and the Wailers, Toots & the Maytals, and Jimmy Cliff all began their careers performing ska.
By 1964 ska had become the preeminent music in Jamaica. The first ska song to become an international hit was Millie Small's 1964 recording of My Boy Lollipop. The multi-million selling single became a top 10 hit in both the UK and the USA.
Since the 1960s ska has been revived in many forms, and continues to be very popular in many countries.
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