You can find plenty of people who truly love reggae music around the Balkans peninsula, you can hear it on national television, radio, popular festivals and local clubs, but even in closest restaurant. Reggae, traditional music of Jamaica, was created from ska and rocksteady, and is also related to rnb, mento, soca and calypso, which were popular on the islands during 1950s. However, you probably asked yourself for quite a many times, what made Jamaica, small and undeveloped Third world country, to reach the crossroads of Europe and Asia, the Balkans peninsula.
Even though Jamaica was unknown to most of Balkans countries during 1950s, through calypso music which followed many Hollywood movies with Harry Belafonte (Jamaican actor), thanks to students from African countries who brought records with Caribbean rhytms, and geopolitical position of the peninsula between First and Second World and Third World, Jamaican music became an important phonemenon throughout the region.
FIRST LOCAL RECORDS
It is a fact that demand for Jamaican music grew upwards ever since first vinyls with Caribbean riddims arrived to Balkans peninsula at the end of 1950s, and with large number of fans, came the brave musicians, who helped to further expand calypso, ska, rocksteady and reggae music. If we ask older generations today, when did they first get in touch with Jamaican music, they would tell you about their college days and their fellow students from Africa, who studied in Yugoslavia, Greece, Romania or Bulgaria. We would possibly bring some good memories with "Banana Boat song (Day O)", big hit song by Harry Belafonte, which was actually first calypso track covered in the peninsula. It was Yugoslav vocal group, Tercet Florida, whose 7" single "Ljubav je carobna stvar" (Love is magical thing) from 1957, released by Jugoton, demostrated phonemenal quality of production of that time. This song was an excellent example of Jamaican mento and calypso, predecessor of reggae music. Lyrics speak about port workers in Jamaica, who ask for rest after hard nightshift. Original track by the Caddilacs, "My Boy Lollipop" was first performed by Barbie Gaye in 1956, and 8 years later, in Jamaica it became one of the best selling ska records of all time, thanks to producer Chriss Blackwell, and phenomenal interpretation by Millie Small. "Moj Decko Lilihip" from 1965, unique bluebeat, doo wop and ska track released by Jugoton, was second hit song with strong connection to Jamaica, to be covered by Balkans based artists.
ROCKSTEADY IN ROCKY BALKANS
One of the first tracks in new music genre, Rocksteady, came to the Balkans in 1968. Song "Rudi's in Love", by English group Locomotive, was rereleased by Jugoton, and became one of the best selling rocksteady records. Two years later, track "Montego Bay" by Bobby Bloom, was another big hit that further popularized Jamaica in the eyes of fans around the peninsula. The same year, PGP RTB (Yugoslavia), released "Wonderful World Beautiful People" 7" single by Jamaican superstar, Jimmy Cliff. A year later, in 1971, Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths sign "Pied Piper" 7' single, which was again rereleased at Jugoton label in Yugoslavia. Few more releases that year included phenomenal LP "You can get it if you really want it", by Desmond Dekker, "Mother and Child Reunion" by Paul Simon, and Johnny Nash with "My marry go around". After few records labels signed agreement with Island Records to release the Wailers live in 1975, it was time for new era of reggae, concsiouss rasta music. Words like kaya, roots, irie, echoed in most diverse places in the Balkans.
Unlike Jamaica, rock n roll was dominant music genre amongst younger generations in the 80s. There were no rasta poets with dreadlocks, and reggae music could not start from spiritual and social revolution seen in Jamaica. However, many have understood and accepted its message, as a way of rebel against opression, racism, violence and injustice. Zlatni Prsti, popular rock and roll music group from town of Zajecar, founded in 1974, released "Igraj Rege" (Dance to reggae) for Jugoton in 1977, and dispite long negotiations with record label, who didn't want to release it at first place, they sold all 30,000 copies. It was time for reggae to replace rock n roll in clubs and charts, and for artists to have full freedom to record whatever they want. Durng 1978, there were few more releases in reggae genre, "Horoskop" by group Neoplanti, from Novi Sad, "Vracala se Jelena" by Izazov from Zagreb, and another great 7" single by Zlatni Prsti, "Kako da osvojim tebe. Roots Rock Reggae was popularized by Jamaican artists, but nevertheless, their peers in the Balkans, were doing their best to catch up. Rosu si Negru band from Bucharest, who recorded "Hai acasa" in 1978 in TV Romania, was great example that despite all odds, you could hear reggae wherever there was audience for it.It didn't take long for Jamaican music, to attract broader audience in the Balkans, and whatsoever it spread throughout whole region as a music of youth and rebellion against opressive system which ruled around the region. Cannabis, Kaya, Sensimilla and Ganja are names for the same plant which was grown Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary (leading European exporters) during sixties, for industrial purposes. Without a doubt, thanks to Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter tosh, many have learned that the very same plant was Jamaican "Healing of the nation". People had enough of pop, rock and hippie movements, old 1968 student revolution was long gone, and people wanted some new revolution and purpose, in those times of Cold War. Without any doubt, you can say that Jamaican musicians, and their revolutionary character, contributed to attract more people in the Balkans to learn more about ska, dub and roots reggae. By the end of 70s, many European musicians were already part of "Second Wave" of ska, and not long after, musicians around the Balkans started doing the same, playing two tone ska.
Originally written in 2011 by Aleksandar Dobric, activist, artist and founder of Roots And Sound
Text used with permission of author, taken from
http://rootsandsound.com