Reggae Country
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Reggae country crosses reggae's offbeat skank and easy one-drop groove with country and island songwriting — acoustic guitar, pedal steel or slide, laid-back grooves and story-driven, down-home vocals. It ranges from reggae covers of country songs to breezy island-country hits about sun, drink and escape, blending Nashville warmth with a Caribbean lilt. Productions are relaxed and sing-along friendly. The mood is sunny, easygoing and vacation-minded.
History
The pairing dates to Toots & the Maytals' 1973 reggae reading of "Take Me Home, Country Roads," and it resurfaced strongly in the 2000s island-country boom — Kenny Chesney's beach anthems, Jimmy Buffett's Gulf-and-Caribbean escapism and Willie Nelson's all-reggae 2005 album Countryman (covering "The Harder They Come"). Zac Brown Band folded reggae grooves into country radio hits, and the loose fusion became a staple of summer country. It endures as a laid-back meeting of two roots traditions.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Take Me Home, Country Roads(1973) — Toots & the MaytalsSpotifyYouTube
- The Harder They Come(2005) — Willie NelsonSpotifyYouTube
- When the Sun Goes Down(2004) — Kenny ChesneySpotifyYouTube
- Volcano(1979) — Jimmy BuffettSpotifyYouTube
- Jump Right In(2013) — Zac Brown BandSpotifyYouTube
- I'm a Worried Man(2005) — Willie NelsonSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- AllMusic review of Willie Nelson, Countryman (2005)
- Billboard country and Hot 100 chart histories
- artist biographies for Toots & the Maytals and Kenny Chesney