ORIGINALLY RECORDED DECEMBER 18, 2020
ORIGINALLY BROADCAST JANUARY 10, 2021
For a transcript of this episode, click here.
Jamaica is the home of a great musical tradition. Most people know about reggae, but before that, there was dancehall, rocksteady, and our host’s personal favorite, ska. It’s a rich and diverse dance music that mixes Caribbean sounds with jazz, R&B, and punk rock, to explore politics, history, and the legacy of slavery. Join Why? Radio and our guest Heather Augstyn as we explore how this little-known genre spread around the world, racking up hit, after hit, after hit.
Heather Augutyn is an author, photographer, and a continuing lecturer at Purdue University, Northwest. She’s written seven books on Jamaican music, including Ska: An Oral History, Ska The Music of Liberation, and Women in Jamaican Music, was just released this past May. She maintains a blog at Skabook.com
The music you heard on this episode is:
“54-46 was my number” – Toots and the Maytals: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Rise Up” – The Skints: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Schooling the Duke” – Don Drummond: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Sell Out” – Reel Big Fish: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“East Side Beat” – Toasters: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Women of the ghetto” – Hortense Ellis: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Easy Snappin’” – Theo Beckford: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
The video in which Bob Marley explains the difference between Ska, Reggae, and Rocksteady: YouTube.
The song Jack discussed in his monologue was One Step Beyond. The version he heard, by Madness, is here: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube. The original version, by Prince Buster, is here: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
Jack also referenced, but did not play, Doreen Shaffer “Sugar, Sugar.” You can hear this version here: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
Ten Great Ska Songs
Interestingly, when Heather and Jack compared lists, they overlapped about 40%. This gave them each the opportunity to expand beyond their first choices.
Heather’s list:
“Eastern Standard Time” – Don Drummond: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Simmer Down” – The Wailing Wailers & The Skatalites: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“King of Kings” – Jimmy Cliff: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“My Boy Lollipop” – Millie Small: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Gangsters” – The Specials: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Ranking Full Stop” -The Beat: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Carry Go Bring Come” – Justin Hinds & the Dominoes: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Party at Ground Zero” – Fishbone: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Monkey Ska” – Hepcat: YouTube.
“Centrifuge” by New York Ska Jazz Ensemble: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
Jack’s list:
“Pressure Drop” – Toots and the Maytalls: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Skinhead Moonstomp” – Symarip: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“The Prince” – Madness: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“James Bond” – Selector: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Run Rudy Run” – Toasters: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Mandingo” – Untouchables: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Make Me Smile” – Deltones: YouTube.
“Jah Laundromat” – Bim Skala Bim: Apple Music, YouTube.
“Knowledge is King” – Chainska Brassika: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
“Title Holder” – The Interrupters: Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube.
Bonus track (this was not online when Jack first made his list. It is from, in his opinion, “the least known great ska album”). “Twisted Step/Under Pressure” – The Boilers: YouTube
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