Photos by Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer
LEFT: King Stitt says people outside Jamaica buy the original ska records. RIGHT: Prince Buster says that his ska performances outside Jamaica are always well received.

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Ska music once jumped, jived and moved with life in Jamaica, but after a while the beat faded. However, the music found new life in the United States of America, with a proliferation of American ska bands.

In the 1960s, when Jamaica was making strides towards independence, the roots of ska was planted by the likes of Prince Buster, Rosco Gordon and the Skatalites.

According to www.bbc.co.uk, "In the 1960s, a lot of young people in Jamaica were unemployed and crime and violence increased in proportion to their frustration and despondency. Reflecting this mood the music took a harder edge, driven by the bass. Ska became the music of the disaffected, the 'Rude Boys'. The lyrics started to chronicle the times. Ska rapidly spread to the West Indian community in England; it was as though Kingston was linked to London by some pre-Internet musical super-highway. The music was quickly adopted by the early skinheads, whose dress and hairstyles were influenced by the Rude Boys."

By 1964 along came rocksteady, then reggae followed, and soon little ska was being made. But it found a following abroad, as the www.bbc.co.uk report continues:

"Around 1978 the ska beat re-emerged in Britain, played by racially integrated bands promoting unity. Special AKA (The Specials) and The Selecter spearheaded the movement in the England. The new ska bands were at least as successful, in chart terms, as the original artistes; they attracted mixed audiences to their live gigs, skinheads and new style 'Rude Boys'. But they all didn't mix well and there was often trouble in the dancehalls. Consequently, the dancehalls stopped booking the ska bands. By 1981 the sound of ska had once again receded."

But then came California ska, which "has been enjoying an excellent underground following there for the past decade, with some commercial success emerging over the last five years. California Ska has its own unique sound, generally faster, livelier and happier than traditional ska."

Popular practitioners

Hence the 'Third Wave Ska Musicians' were born. Among the more popular practitioners are The Toasters, Operation Ivy, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, Fishbone, Less Than Jake, Save Ferris, Sublime, The Aquabats and No Doubt, who had come to Jamaica to learn and be influenced.

According to musicologist Bunny Goodison, there has been a proliferation of ska bands across the world that no one would have predicted could have happened. He recently told The Sunday Gleaner that "The representation of ska came out of Jamaica, but I think people (outside of Jamaica) just needed something new, so they turned to ska. Ska simply couldn't compete locally; people out here couldn't do the live band thing. It's too electronic and ska was more acoustic."

King Stitt of Studio One, who was around when ska first being recorded, said "Ska music is still recording, but not here now. There's a lot in the United States. The Skatalites are even makingit big abroad. The people over there buy the original ska records, listen to it and realise it's the better kind of music."

However, according to ska pioneer Prince Buster, the genre was always being held down in Jamaica. "Ska was held down from early back and still being held down now 'cause ska came from the people. Ska neva get promotion from long time and it just continues," he said. Prince Buster said that he is outside of Jamaica dedicated to promoting ska music to the world. He stated that he does many shows and persons are always interested in the music.

"Ska can't die. Ska is Jamaica's national music. It came from the common people. Ska is nice outside of Jamaica; it's popular, a lot of young bands forming and playing ska music in Japan, Europe and America. I don't think ska is given its full worth in Jamaica," Buster said. However, he does think it's possible that ska can experience a re-emergence in Jamaica as long as the musicians stay true to the form.