The Art Of Ska

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae music. Ska skillfully combined the elements of traditional Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues.

It is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the upbeat. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods. Later it became popular with many skinheads.

Music historians typically divide the history of ska into three periods: the original Jamaican scene of the 1960s (First Wave), the English 2 Tone ska revival of the late 1970s (Second Wave) and the third wave ska movement, which started in the 1980s (Third Wave) and rose to popularity in the U.S. in the 1990s.

While the musicians were making the music and fans were skanking to the rocksteady beats of ska, artists were producing the imagery that went along with the ska movement.

This ska art was used on everything from record labels, record covers and show posters to clothing and any other swag that could be printed on.

So, do Ska!

And, keep the Rocksteady beat …

 Ska Lives!