REGGAE GOT SOUL; JAMAICAN COVERS & THEIR ORIGINALS FROM THE ‘60S INTO THE ‘80S

REGGAE GOT SOUL: JAMAICAN COVERS & THEIR ORIGINALS FROM THE ‘60S INTO THE ‘80S

After having published Memories of Reggae Geel 1998-2020 and the Studio One files, we are proud to announce the publishing of our third book: Reggae Got Soul

Reggae Got Soul is a book that showcases the history of over 170 Jamaican cover tunes and original songs, with short bios and photos of artists, record labels, and album covers. It includes tunes from well-known artists like Alton Ellis, Bob Andy, and The Wailers, as well as obscure tracks by lesser-known acts.

Alton Ellis – You’ve Made Me Happy – Original by Brenda Holloway

This book explores the practice of Jamaican artists recording their own versions of songs by US performers, which was common from the early 1960s. The popularity of soul, R&B, and pop records imported from the US by sound system pioneers contributed to this trend. The book focuses on covers within the Black Music genre and aims to trace their origins and performers.

This playlist showcases Jamaican reggae artists covering songs from US Black Music from the ’60s to the ’80s. It’s a great complement to the 180-page paperback, “Reggae Got Soul: Jamaican Covers And Their Originals.”

The book includes QR codes that enable readers to listen to the music on YouTube.


ON THE REGGAE TASTEMAKER PLAYLIST NOW…

Reggae Tastemaker Playlist