Reggae Pop
tagStarted 1972Peak 1983-1994Last big hit still active
Reggae's one-drop groove, skanking offbeat guitar and rolling bass smoothed into accessible pop song structures. Warm, laid-back mid-tempos, sing-song melodies, and uplift-or-heartbreak lyrics carried by clear pop vocals. Roots rhythm without the militancy: bright, hooky and built to cross from Jamaica to the global charts.
History
Eric Clapton's 1974 cover of Marley's 'I Shot the Sheriff' and UB40's run of reggae-pop covers brought the rhythm to white pop audiences. Police, Maxi Priest and Inner Circle widened the lane through the 1980s, making the reggae lilt a reliable mainstream pop mode well before dancehall's crossover.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Reggae
- AllMusic: Reggae-Pop
- Billboard chart histories