The origins of the sound:
As where most treasure is found, ska was dug up somewhere off the shores of paradise. Jamaica, the heart of the Caribbean, remains as the birthplace of the energetic and often rude, ska genre. Historically, Jamaican genres perpetuate from older styles of music in a melodic metamorphosis of the culture: inherited cultural music of the island joined with western R&B in the l940s to give birth to classic Jamaican R&B. Jamaican R&B changed its style, playing harder or softer to a rhythm, creating ska, reggae, and rock steady. Kevin O’Brian Chang points this generational shift out in his book, Reggae Roots: The Story of Jamaican Music, “The music simply evolved as the subtle difference from R&B became progressively more pronounced.”
Expanding on ska as a new form of classic musical, ska pageanted itself as a new art form in the late 1950s by incorporating a musical motif that has lasted throughout all three historical periods of ska: skank. Skank (where ska gets its name), or more formally called upstroking, is a style of guitar playing where a guitarist plays on the off beat: they play the bars or chords by stroking “up,” landing on the second and fourth beat, usually muting on the down stroke. By playing skank, the beat feels abrupt, allowing for jumpy, lively performances. The sensation of the music is more than often accompanied by a line of horn instrument players, who add an extra pageant to the sound.
Heavily influencing the drive to produce the fast-paced music, the island, in the turn of the decade, was engrossed in independence. In 1962, the United Kingdom granted independence to Jamaica, unlocking a striking new pathway for the medium. Where the basis of ska previously descended from a vine of R&B and cultural motifs, the fresh genre branched out into the world, and its ties to that history morphed. Ska existed initially in the subculture of Jamaican ghetto, but as ska’s popularity soared, the intrigue to appeal the hard kick of ska to a wider audience divided its musicians in the early 1960s. One part embodied the classic marchiness of ska. Iconic bands like the Granville Williams Orchestra and Prince Buster played with a folksy and unabashed marching beat, whereas the other side was composed of new talents. Bands like The Skatalites and Byron Lee and The Dragonaires reflect a smoother, experimental style compared to the older vein of work. The two varying styles played in and out of the early half of the 1960s, until change hit the genre yet again.
Eventually, in the later half of the 60s, ska competed with more popular American genres like jazz and soul, forcing ska to slow down its tempo and lighten its skank to a noticeable degree. Comparing two songs from the decade, “Renegade” by The Zodiacs, recorded in 1965, to “Mean Girl” by Larry Marshall, recorded in 1968, there is a noticeable decline in the haste at which the music is conveyed. “Renegade” feels fast and shouty, whereas “Mean Girl”, like many ska motifs at the end of the 60s, relies heavily on slow and easygoing vocals and strumming; the laid-back feel of this version of ska is referred to as rock steady. Ska, as a genre, began to cease its presence from the late 60s and up until the late 70s. The art form that defined a culture of Rudies, the young people who had enveloped themselves in the music and style of the music, was being left behind.
Later iterations:
Classic ska died and remained in a state of purgatory throughout the seventies, until it found a new host of musicians. These new artists, who greatly appreciated the styles of those pioneering musicians, hailed from the university musicians studying in the Midlands of the UK. Transferring across the pond, ska inevitably evolved with the new artists in a period known as ska revival, or 2-Tone. Ska revival fell in the years of 1979 to around the mid 80s. Revivalist artists drew direct inspiration from the 60s albums and songs that had been so pertinent almost 20 years prior. Bands like The Specials reimagined earlier ska tracks, incorporating punk style zaniness with the classics to produce a previously unheard of beat. The instrumental pizazz of their song “Gangsters” comes in direct inspiration from Prince Buster’s “Al Capone.” The inciting producer of the new wave of ska was the record label 2-Tone Records, who began the careers of the most notable ska revival artists: The Specials, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, and Madness, to name a few. From where ska had dipped into obscurity in the 70s, it was reborn in a grand display of new trends in music and homages to the past.
The final variation of ska, known as third wave ska, peaked in popularity in the nineties. Drawing more from 2-Tone ska, new wave, grunge, and reggae than classic 60s ska, this period was a morphing of ska as a genre once again. Centered closely to California living at the end of the century, bands like Save Ferris, Fishbone, and Sublime distinctively honored the root motifs of ska with skank and horns all throughout their discographies. Sublime, in particular, became extremely popular for songs like “Santeria” and “Wrong Way,” which have clear ska influences in their composition. Though wildly unique compared to the other two styles, third wave ska remains an essential part of ska history.
Today, ska subsists off of the orthodox artists who honor the classic Jamaican ska, the revivalists reminiscing the 1980s sensation, and listeners like you, the person who spent their time reading this article. ♥ Peace and love! ♥