Trojan Records

Featured Artist

The Skatalites

In Jamaica throughout the early half of the 1960's Ska prevailed and of all the groups to make their mark during this time, none proved more popular or influential than the legendary Skatalites.

Following their creation in the summer of ’64, this powerhouse instrumental combo, featuring the cream of...

Continued >>>

Latest News

RSS feed

Welcome to the Trojan Records official website and forums

Origins Of Reggae Book Sees Issue

Jérémie Kroubo Dagnini, a Ph.D candidate in the Department of Anglophone studies at the University Michel de Montaigne Bordeaux 3 (France) has just seen his work studying the history of Jamaican popular music in the 20th century has just seen publication.

The book, entitled ‘Les Origines Du Reggae: Retour Aux Sources. Mento, Ska, Rocksteady, Early Reggae’ traces the origins of Reggae, from Africa to Jamaica, covering the era of slavery to the post-colonial period and bu so doing charts how the history of Jamaica (slavery, Evangelism, colonial and post-colonial politics, migration phenomena, urbanization, Americanisation of Jamaican society) has contributed to the development of the island’s music

The author analyses the socio-historico-cultural dynamics that resulted in the birth of Reggae in the late 60‘s as well as the origins and evolutions of Mento, Ska and Rock Steady, the main popular musical genres that predated Reggae in Jamaica.

Contained within the book are rare and previously unpublished interviews and images of the Jolly Boys, Edward Seaga, Derrick Morgan, Toots Hibbert, the Alpha Boys’ School, Johnny ‘Dizzy’ Moore, Byron Lee, Prince Buster and the Kingstonians, along with reproductions of classic Trojan LP sleeves.

Currently obtainable from www.editions-harmattan.fr, www.amazon.fr, and www.fnac.com the book is only available in French, although it is hoped that given sufficient interest, an English version will follow.