In the late 1950's, a musical revolution was engulfing the small Carribean island of Jamaica. Its influences were varied, but the most major was American popular music (i.e. Rhythm and Blues, Boogie-Woogie, Blues, Jazz, and Rock and Roll), which was heard on the radio everyday. It wasn't very long before Jamaicans created their own unique style of music, blending together their influences. Another factor in the creation of Ska was Mento, which existed before Ska and played a major role in this new musical era.
Some of the first ska bands/artists were: Bob Marley & The Wailers; Desmond Dekker; Toots & The Maytals; The Skatalites;
Ernest Ranglin (who helped create this new musical genre). Those
are but a few of the originators.
To be continued...