• What is ska?
• Where did ska get its name?
• What was First Wave Ska like?
• What was Second Wave Ska like?
• What was Third Wave Ska like?
• Is there a Fourth Wave?
• What is a rude boy?

Q. What is Ska?

A. Ska is a form of Jamaican music which began in the early 1960s. Typically ska is divided into three waves. Ska's popularity has came and went since its original inception, and has had revivals of note in England in the 1980s and another wave of popularity in the 1990s.

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Q. Where did Ska get its name?

A. Ska's name remains a mystery. There are many theories though. The word "ska" may have onomatopoeic origins from Jamaican poems. Ernest Ranglin said, "the offbeat guitar scratching that he and other musicians played was referred to as 'skat! skat! skat!'" Another school of thought is that the name is a an abbreviation of the term "speed calypso", which is arguably a fairly accurate description of the music.

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Q. What was First Wave Ska like?

A. This form of ska is very heavy on the up-beat. This is Jamaican form of music has many forms. The original ska form was modeled after some of the jazz and rock and roll heard in America. In the later 60's American soul music slowed and so did ska. Ska became more emphasized on the down beat. This form was known as rocksteady. Some rocksteady musicians that were considered major players are the Melodians, know for 'Rivers of Babylon', Desmond Dekker, The Ethiopians, and The Maytals, who coined the term 'reggae' with their song "Do the Reggay".

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Q. What was Second Wave Ska like?

A.

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Q. What was Third Wave Ska like?

A.

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Q. Is there a Fourth Wave?

A.

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Q. What is a rude boy?

A.

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