Top Seven Reggae Artists of All Times

Reggae is a huge part of music history. You need to have a listen, because the music is so important. Reggae first started in Jamaica, as a voice for the oppressed.

Now, with the reggae artist list, it has become a mainstream sound. Read on for important figures in reggae!

Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker lived from 1941 to 2006. His music was a combination of ska, rocksteady, and reggae. He originally trained as a tailor, and then switched to welding.

People who heard him singing while at work encouraged him to audition for a music career. He was a singer- songwriter, who was picked up by Leslie Kong in 1962. Even though he had a record contract, he didn’t full record an album for two years.

Dekker will live on in fame as being the man who brought people’s attention to Bob Marley. Any good music essay will have Desmond Dekker in it.

Toots and the Maytals

The Toots and the Maytals were one of the top reggae bands around. Originally known as The Maytals, the band were one of the best known ska and rocksteady bands around. They were formed in the 1960s, and became almost as important to reggae as Marley himself.

They were the first people to popularise the word reggae. Their song ‘Do the Reggay’ is the first recorded use of the word. After that, the word took off. The band themselves gradually moved into new sounds and styles after they premiered a close gospel singing style. The headliner, Toots Hibbert, died in 2020.

Sizzla

Miguel Orlando Collins is a highly prolific reggae music artist. As of 2018, he has fifty six solo albums on the market. His music is closely tied with his message. Sizzla embraces the idea that reggae is for an oppressed people. He works within his community, both in and out of his music, to make things better.

Sizzla has been nominated for Grammy awards for his work, but he has had his fair share of controversy. He performed for Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and received a gift of land. He intends to make Zimbabwe his permanent home, despite some detractors speaking out against it.

Peter Tosh

Any essay from Writemyessay4me would be ideally written. His tragically short life was a very full one. He initially performed in a band called the Wailers alongside no less than Bob Marley!

After his successful start with that band and the song ‘Get Up, Stand up’, he branched off to start a solo career. He organised a backing group called Word, Sound, and Power that would follow him around on tour. They are feature on the album ‘Bush Doctor’, which is the album
that introduced Tosh to a wider audience. Before his untimely death, he used his music to promote Rastafarianism.

Yellowman

Yellowman is one of the best reggae musicians we have today. Also known as King Yellowman, he is known for his reggae and dancehall DJaying. He first came to prominence in the eighties, with a series of reggae singles.

Yellowman is partly famous because his albinism makes him stand out. He sings about social problems in the current world. This is what first brought him to public attention in the eighties. Yellowman himself has spoken out about non-violence.

He thinks that the current focus of music on material goods is the cause of a lot of violence, and hopes to see change.

Have a Listen to Them

These are the top seven reggae artists you should listen to. They will give you a feel for what reggae was, and what it has become. Reggie initially came from ska music, but it has grown beyond that. If you want to learn more about reggae history, you can ask professionals to
write music essays. Our list will help you understand exactly how. Enjoy your musical journey!

Burning Spear

Winston Rodney OD is known as Burning Spear in reggae circles. He is a long-standing reggae artist, as he has been well-known since the 1970s.

Originally Burning Spear was a reggae group, with Rodney as the lead. This band went from strength to strength through the seventies, until Rodney left in 1980m to form his own record label. This is also where he launched his solo career, recording and releasing several albums over the course of the decade.

Bob Marley

Bob Marley remains one of the best reggae artists ever. He is the person most people think of when they think about reggae, and for good reason!

His vocal style and voice are truly unusual, which is why he stood out even among other pioneers of reggae. His style was a medley of ska, rocksteady, and what other people had already done for reggae.

Marley was someone who always tried new things when it came to music. His initial work was a mix of ska, rocksteady, and very early reggae. His other albums incorporated aspects of blues, soul, and even rock music over time.

His music career ranged from the sixties to the early eighties. Unfortunately, Marley died in 1981 of melanoma.

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