Episode 29: Every Little Thing is Gonna Be All Right: The Influence of 70s Reggae
SHOW NOTES
Reggae was borne out of both the celebration of Jamaica getting its independence from Great Britain in 1962 and the struggle and strife that followed. Few people outside of Jamaica had heard of reggae when it began to appear in recordings in 1968. However, it didn’t take long before its fans and music industry executives predicted that it was the next “big thing” in music and that Bob Marley was destined for stardom. The reality was that there was little room for authentic radio on 70s radio, even for Marley, so Americans were more likely to hear reggae-inspired rock. Still, reggae’s influence on pop and rock continued to grow and it is an undeniable part of pop and rock’s past and present.
PLAY LIST
Do the Reggay by Toots and the Maytals (1968)
Vietnam by Jimmy Cliff (1969)
Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon (1972)
I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash (1972)
I Shot the Sheriff by Eric Clapton (1974)
Legalize It by Peter Tosh (1976)
Roots, Rock, Reggae by Bob Marley (1976)
Roxanne by The Police (1978)
The Tide is High by Blondie (1981)
SOURCES
Arrington, Carl. “Alas, the Copycats are Reaping the Profits of Reggae.” Detroit Free Press. February 8, 1976.
“Bono Inducts Bob Marley.” Online Video. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/bob-marley. 1994.
Briehan, Tom. “The Number Ones: Blondie’s “The Tide is High.” Stereogum. April 17, 2020. https://www.stereogum.com/2081226/the-number-ones-blondies-the-tide-is-high/columns/the-number-ones/
Cohen, Howard. “Reggae Singer-Songwriter Wrote ‘The Tide is High.’ The Miami Herald. October 23, 2014.
Dreisinger, Baz. “Peter Tosh: Reclaiming a Wailer.” NPR. July 9, 2011. https://www.npr.org/2011/07/09/137701446/peter-tosh-reclaiming-a-wailer
Hughes, Rob. “The Story Behind the Song: Roxanne By The Police.” LouderSound.com. February 5, 2019. https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-stories-behind-the-songs-roxanne
Marlowe, Jon. “Peter Tosh - He’s the Real Thing.” The Miami News. July 23, 1976.
McCormack, Ed. “Bob Marley with a Bullet.: Rolling Stone. August 12, 1976.
Owen, Frank. “Dance Stylee.” Spin. February 1990.
Perry, Jean. “Reggae is a Sound Only a Few Can Truly Hear.” The Daily News (New York, NY). May 19, 1975
Rodriguez, Juan. “Haphazard Hybrid Makes a Mellow High.” The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). April 17, 1976.
Steffens, Roger. “Reggae Inna USA.” Rolling Stone: The 70s. Rolling Stone Press: Atlanta, Georgia, 1998.
Landau, Jon. “Paul Simon: The Rolling Stone Interview.” Rolling Stone. July 20, 1972.
Leogrande, Ernest. “The Jamaican Touch.” Daily News (New York, NY). March 2, 1972.
Rudis, Al. “Reggae Music Sweeping the World.” Arizona Daily Star. August 22, 1976.
Starr, Larry and Christopher Waterman, eds. American Popular Music, 2nd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. 2007.
Ward, Ed. The History of Rock & Roll: Volume II, 1964 - 1977. New York: Flatiron Book. 2019.