Jamaican R&B - The Sound of Jamaica

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In the mid-1950s, Jamaica hit the gas on a campaign for independence. The musicians and sound men decided it was time to make something that felt less derivative. They wanted to add to the music what one of the artists called a Jamaican feeling. Dodd really liked that classic shuffle beat found in American R&B.

Jamaica is famous around the world for its music, including genres like ska, dub, and reggae. It’s tempting to think that the powerful amplifiers and giant speakers at the dance parties were designed to perfectly capture Jamaica’s indigenous sounds. But it’s actually the other way around. Those speakers and amps came first. And the electricians, mechanics and engineers who built and adapted that technology would then play a decisive role in the creation of Jamaica’s modern music. They helped pioneer approaches to making and performing music that would spawn whole other scenes from the Bronx to the UK.

Wickedest Sound