Encyclopedia Of Reggae. The Golden Age Of Roots Reggae

This heavily illustrated guide to reggae is a colourful, herbally endowed and sunsplashed history of one of the world’s most popular musical styles. Reggae was born in 1960s Jamaica, a potent mix of such indigenous genres as ska and rocksteady plus R&B, jazz and traditional African rhythms. Before long, it had conquered the globe, influencing musicians from Britain to Brazil. The Encyclopedia of Reggae focuses on the music’s golden age, from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s heyday of dancehall and features more than 500 images, including rare album art and ephemera. Written by one of the foremost experts on the subject, this amazing resource profiles more than 200 key performers, impresarios and producers from reggae’s history.

Review

“Reggae has been evolving and growing in popularity since the early 1960s. Alleyne’s (recording industry, Middle Tennessee State Univ.) authoritative look at the entire genre includes comprehensive articles on 25 major reggae stars and features 14 sidebars explaining everything from dub to dancehall. David Moskowitz’s “Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady and Dancehall” offered a good start on this subject, but its solid information was paired with only a few black-and-white photos. This new book is much more visually appealing, in full colour and with vibrant four-colour artwork that makes it a fun browse as well as a useful reference title. VERDICT: This well-written and informative book covers most, if not all, of the main performers of reggae’s golden era, and should be included in all comprehensive music and reggae collections.” –“Library Journal”

About the Author

Mike Alleyne is a journalist, music critic and professor specialising in the cultural and economic history of Caribbean music. He teaches in the Department of Recording Industry at Middle Tennessee State University and has written for countless magazines and newspapers on reggae’s musical and historical roots. Alleyne is a frequent lecturer around the globe on the modern impact of Caribbean music and has contributed to the Grove Dictionary of American Music.

Paperback
332 pages
Dimensions (in cm): 23 x 24 x 4
Publisher: Dan Tucker
ISBN: 978-1-4027-8583-2
20th Nov 2012