As the focus of this blog will be my journey through reggae music, I would be remiss if my first post was not this tune:
Widely regarded as the first ever reggae/ska track to be recorded, this is where our journey begins.  The song was written in 1958 and was released on Blue Beat Records in 1961.  This song is probably more recognizable in our generation as the cover performed by Shaggy in the 90’s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMwmK_zPOAU
The popularity of Shaggy’s version resulted in legal troubles between John Folkes and Prince Buster, which were resolved in court in favour of John Folkes. Â Shaggy’s album, “Pure Pleasure” was one of the first reggae CD’s that I ever bought, but I never realized it was a cover until a few years ago.
My introduction to reggae music was not until the late 80’s or early 90’s, and it was with dancehall rather than ska or roots reggae. Â It took decades for me to work my way back to the genesis of reggae music. Â Partly because of the fact the music was from a totally different culture, and partly because it was impossible without the technology we have today and the fact that the majority of the sum of human knowledge now resides at our fingertips.