Looking for your next travel destination? Are you a music fan? Do you like to mix the two, maybe with a little ganja and history? Well, we have the perfect combination for you. You’ve probably guessed it – it’s Jamaica. You know it – the Caribbean island nation, that has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay, with its British-colonial architecture, and Negril, known for its diving and snorkeling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer.
We’ll talk a bit about Bob in a minute. But let’s go back in time a look at the Jamaican music scene. Reggae didn’t exist, but it was coming. What propelled it into the massive musical culture that it is is due to the pioneers of Ska. Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. So have a look at some of the roots of Reggae, courtesy of people like Baba Brooks, Aubrey Adams, Laurel Aitken, Roland Alphonso, The Skatalites, Theophilus Beckford, Toots and the Maytals and more.
GetYourGuide can get you into the Bob Marley Museum: history, reggae and ska. Click here.
Stay at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel. Luxurious and central. Click here.
Expedia can get you there and back. Great options, great prices and great support. Click here to book.