Rocksteady is a type of music that began in Jamaica around 1966. It came after ska and was followed by reggae. Rocksteady was the most popular style of music in Jamaica for about two years. Many artists who later helped create reggae music performed rocksteady songs. These included groups that sang together in harmony, like the Techniques, the Paragons, the Heptones, and the Gaylads. Soulful singers such as Alton Ellis, Delroy Wilson, Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, and Phyllis Dillon also performed rocksteady. Musicians like Jackie Mittoo, Lynn Taitt, and Tommy McCook played instruments on these songs. The name rocksteady comes from a popular (slower) dance style. This dance style is the subject of the Alton Ellis song "Rocksteady" and matched the new music sound. Some rocksteady songs became popular outside of Jamaica, just like ska songs. This helped reggae music become popular around the world today.

Characteristics

Jamaican musicians and producers who created rocksteady music had learned and played jazz before they started making rocksteady. They had also played ska music earlier. Similar to what happened at Motown, these musicians would often play together in jazz clubs after their jobs to practice and develop their new sound.

Other important influences on rocksteady included American rhythm and blues music by artists like Fats Domino and Louis Jordan, as well as mento and African drumming styles. By the time rocksteady developed, American soul music was already popular and also influenced the sound.

Rocksteady had a slower tempo than ska. Guitar and piano players began to add occasional different notes around the basic offbeat rhythm pattern.

The slower tempo of rocksteady allowed bass players to use thicker, deeper, and slower sounds than in ska. The slower speed and smaller band sizes made the bass line more important overall. This focus on the bass line became a key feature of Jamaican music. In rocksteady, the lead guitar sometimes played the same notes as the bass line, using a muted picking style developed by Lynn Taitt, as heard in the song "Run for Cover" by Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Lyrics

Many rocksteady songs are love songs because they use music from US soul songs. For example, "Sharing You" by Prince Buster is a version of a song originally performed by Mitty Collier, and "Queen Majesty" by the Techniques is a version of "Minstrel and Queen" by the Impressions.

Some rocksteady songs talk about religion and the Rastafari movement, but not as much as reggae songs. Rocksteady music was popular around the same time as the rise of rude boys, and some songs describe rude boys in a negative way. Examples include "Rude Boy Gone A Jail" by the Clarendonians and "Judge Dread" by Prince Buster.

Alton Ellis was opposed to rude boys. His song "Cry Tough," released before the term rocksteady became popular, encouraged people living in poor areas of Jamaica to remain strong during difficult times.

History

Rocksteady was a popular music style that lasted only about two years, from around summer 1966 until spring 1968. Even though it was short-lived, its influence can still be heard in music today.

During the middle to later part of the 1960s, ska music became less popular, and the excitement from Jamaica’s independence in 1962 faded. Many young people from the countryside moved to urban areas like Riverton City, Greenwich Town, and Trenchtown in Kingston. Some of these young people became known as "rude boys" because they had a unique style and sometimes broke rules.

Alton Ellis is often called the "father of rocksteady" because of his song "Rocksteady." However, other songs, such as "Take It Easy" by Hopeton Lewis, "Tougher Than Tough" by Derrick Morgan, and "Hold Them" by Roy Shirley, are also considered early rocksteady songs.

One story about rocksteady’s beginning comes from the film Studio One Drummie and the History of Rocksteady Music. It says that in 1966, Joe Isaacs, a 15-year-old drummer, replaced Lloyd Knibbs in the Skatalites band. Because Joe could not play the drums as quickly as needed for ska music, the music director, Jackie Mittoo, slowed the tempo, creating rocksteady.

Another account comes from a radio interview with pianist Gladstone Anderson. He said that bandleader Lynn Taitt suggested slowing the music during the recording of "Take It Easy." Taitt confirmed this in a 2002 interview, saying, "I told 'Gladdy to slow the tempo, and that’s how 'Take It Easy' and rocksteady came about. Rocksteady is really slow ska."

During rocksteady’s time, all major record labels released music in this style. Studio One, Treasure Isle, Bunny Lee, and Prince Buster were the most important labels.

Duke Reid, a record producer, released Alton Ellis’ song "Girl I’ve Got a Date" on his Treasure Isle label. He also recorded music by the Techniques, the Silvertones, the Jamaicans, and the Paragons. His work with these groups helped create the unique singing style of rocksteady. Some people say the best years for Treasure Isle were during the rocksteady era.

Important solo artists of rocksteady included Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe, and Phyllis Dillon, who was called the "Queen of Rocksteady." Other musicians who helped shape rocksteady were keyboard player Jackie Mittoo, drummers Joe Isaacs and Winston Grennan, bassist Jackie Jackson, and saxophonist Tommy McCook. When the ska band Skatalites disbanded (around 1964–1965), McCook joined Treasure Isle, and Mittoo joined Studio One. These two artists helped both labels become dominant and shaped the sound of rocksteady.

Although rocksteady was short-lived, it had a big influence on music. Many reggae artists started in rocksteady or ska. For example, Junior Byles was part of the Versatiles, John Holt was in the Paragons, Pat Kelly and Slim Smith sang with the Techniques, and Ronnie Davis was in the Tennors. The Wailing Wailers, a vocal harmony group inspired by the Impressions, started in ska, moved through rocksteady, and became a reggae band with one main singer.

Derrick Harriott once said, "Ask any Jamaican musician, and they’ll tell you the rocksteady days were the best days of Jamaican music."

Transformation into reggae

Several changes helped rocksteady music become reggae in the late 1960s. Important musicians, Jackie Mittoo and Lynn Taitt, moved to Canada. At the same time, better equipment in Jamaican music studios changed how songs were recorded. The bass guitar became more complex and more important in songs. The piano was replaced by the electric organ. Other changes included horns becoming quieter, rhythm guitar sounds becoming more rough and rhythmic, African-style hand drums being added, and drumming styles becoming more detailed and forceful.

Around 1969–70, a type of music called dub or B-side "versions" became popular in Jamaica. These versions often used rocksteady songs. One example was U-Roy speaking over music made by Osbourne Ruddock, who later became known as King Tubby. This collaboration helped rocksteady songs stay popular in the charts from 1970–71, even as reggae became the new popular style.

By the late 1960s, the Rastafari movement grew in popularity in Jamaica, and rocksteady became less popular. Reggae songs began to focus more on ideas about black pride, politics, and social issues instead of love stories. The 1972 film The Harder They Come and the fame of Bob Marley helped reggae become popular worldwide, something rocksteady never achieved.

Although rocksteady was a short period in Jamaican music, it had a big influence on later styles like reggae, dub, and dancehall. Many bass lines from rocksteady songs are still used today. Examples include the rhythm from "Never Let Go" by Slim Smith (sometimes called the 'answer rhythm'), "Real Rock," "My Conversation" by Slim Smith, "Queen Majesty" by the Techniques, and "Lonely Street" by the Conquerors. These songs were made by Studio One and Treasure Isle labels.