Reggae In The Fields
Saturday October 17th, 2015 with Junior Smith
Oldies but Goodies. Feature the "Blue Beat" sound

OLDIES BUT GOODIES - Today, October 17, 2015. Reggae in the Fields takes you back to the birth of Jamaican music this afternoon. Today a feature on the "Blue Beat" sound. The program will be available on "demand" by 6:00 pm on Saturday at the same link. Join your host Junior Smith for another edition of Canada's longest running Reggae radio program. Since 1976. BLUE BEAT "The music that helped to welcome Jamaica’s independence from Great Britain in 1962, known as ska, was heralded as the first uniquely Jamaican music to come out of the country. Indeed, the walking bass line and emphasis on playing the upbeat which characterized the music eventually paved the way for subsequent genres including rocksteady and reggae. However, ska was not an overnight creation. Before the optimistic tones of independence, Jamaica fell in love with American rhythm and blues, brought to the island via Jamaican seasonal workers. Finding this dance music extremely infectious, local acts began incorporating elements into their performances. And for Jamaicans leaving their country to find work in places such as the United Kingdom, the demand for the music of their homeland grew significantly. This demand ultimately culminated in the formation of the English record label Blue Beat, which became famous for releasing some of the earliest Jamaican R&B and proto-ska tunes." Ian Halligan (http://blackgrooves.org/the-history-of-blue-beat-the-birth-of-ska-bb76-bb100-the-a-b-sides/)