Rocksteady Music

Rocksteady Music Description

Jamaican music that evolved from ska in late 1966 and had its glory until 1968 when it lay the ground to, and was replaced with, reggae. Even if rocksteady is the successor to ska the differences are striking. Rocksteady is slower, more refined and cooler. The walking bassline that ska inherited from R&B changed and didn't play on every beat with equal emphasis. Instead it played a repeated pattern that syncopated the rhythm. Both the bass and the drums plays a prominent role in rocksteady and it is sometimes referred to as Jamaican drum and base. The style is also known as "rock steady" (instead of rocksteady) which also referred to the bass and the drums as a steady rock in the rhythm. The vocals are often sweet, soulful and romantic.,

Some of the prominent producers during the short rocksteady era was Prince Buster, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and Duke Reid but the style also opened the door to new producers as Joe Gibbs, Bunny Lee and Sonia Pottinger Rocksteady was a style of popular music that developed out of ska in the 1960s. In its simplest terms, rocksteady is half-speed ska with the trombone replaced by piano and prominent bass. The lyrics are more socially and politically conscious, and there i