REGGAE BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Rocksteady emerged during 1966 it developed characteristics that identified as almost the opposite of its predecessor, ska. In a nutshell, rocksteady was slower, more refined, and most of all, cooler. Firstly, the regularly paced ‘walking’ basslines that ska inherited from R&B became much more broken-up in rocksteady the bass didn’t play on every beat with equal emphasis, but rather played a repeated pattern that syncopated the rhythm. In turn, the bass and the drums became much more prominent, with the horns taking on a supportive rather than lead role. For further emphasis, Lynn Taitt, the most significant musician of rocksteady, would play a line on styles on Jamaican music was also apparent in the more refined style of rocksteady vocalists, which meshed perfectly with the slower tempo.