A brief history of Ska
The history of Ska is often divided into three phases: the original Jamaican scene in the 60s (First Wave), the English 2 Tone Ska Revival in the 70s and the Third Wave Ska movement in the 80s.
Ska was born in Jamaica during the late 50s, and became really popular for combining Caribbean mento and calypso with African-American music. In the early 60s, Ska became the most heard genre in Jamaica and started to be heard in England. The first recordings belong to Studio One and WIRL Records (Jamaica). Its fame is related to the happiness brought by the Independence of Jamaica in 1962 (The Skatalities – Freedom Sound). Ska started as versions of popular English and American songs from artists like The Beatles or Bob Dylan.
The First Wave
It was born in England in the 70s and it combined Ska with other styles such as Punk Rock, Rocksteady, Reggae or Pop. The name comes from the record label 2 Tone Records, which was the most popular at that time. The artists were people who had grown up to the 60s Jamaican music and had later been influenced by punk or pop music.
2 Tone
The 3rd Wave started in the 80s, but gained popularity during the 90s. Ska was now linked to punk (ska punk), a music genre which was famous for its brass instruments and a much faster tempo that came from Punk Rock. One of the biggest and most influential ska scenes was settled in the Orange County (California); the most important bands usually played there. Ska became huge, and radio shows like the Ska Parade helped popularizing it.
The Third Wave
photobucket.com