Before reggae, rock steady, or even ska, mento ruled Jamaica's musical consciousness. Originally a rural folk music, coalesced from African and European influences, mento took on a more modern tenor ...

A dozen years ago, finding Jamaican mento music from the 1950s was nearly impossible. The pre-ska, acoustic calypso music -- which can still be heard on the island's resorts and tourist spots -- was ...

Chris Nickson reviews the CD Mento Madness: Motta's Jamaican Mento 1951-56. The disc is a compilation of material from the Jamaican "MRS" label founded by Kingston business man Stanley Motta. The CD ...

Reggae music became popular in the late 1960s, when young people were excited about it and gravitated to the new sound. The artists were mainly grass-roots people who used their voices to articulate a ...

KINGSTON Jamaica – For centuries, the voice of the Jamaican people has been amplified through its music, the foundation of which is mento. While the genre lost its sway by the 1950s, its legacy has ...

February marks National Reggae Month — a time to celebrate the rich anthology of Jamaican music and honor the birthdays of late icons Dennis Brown and Bob Marley. The festival will include dancers ...

After singing at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, he was discovered by the British producer Chris Blackwell of Island ...

The Jamaican reggae star had a breakout performance in the 1972 film “The Harder They Come,” playing a singer turned outlaw.

Jimmy Cliff, who is best known for his role in popularizing reggae music internationally through his hit songs “The Harder They Come” and “I Can See Clearly Now,” has died. He was 81. The cause was a ...