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Popular ska and ska-influenced musicians include the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, the Aquabats, Fishbone, Save Ferris, Operation Ivy, and the Toasters. Ska music is typically characterized by drumbeats on the second and fourth beat, in four-quarters time, with the guitar hitting chords on the second, third, and fourth beat. Traditional ska bands usually feature a bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, and various horn-players, usually playing the saxophone, trombone and the trumpet.

This danceable, energetic, upbeat and exciting style of music can trace its roots back to Jamaica in the early sixties. Ska originated from a unique combination of calypso, mento and American jazz and R&B. The beginnings of ska music can be traced to Jamaica’s emancipation from the rule of Great Britain. Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, a disc jockey who would become one of the most prolific producers of ska music, recognized Jamaica’s need to establish its own identity and also bolster its citizens’ national pride and thus began recording popular bands in his aptly named Studio One. The albums recorded at Coxsone’s Studio One became immensely popular.

The pioneering bands that helped to make ska popular include Desmond Dekker and the Aces, the Skatalites, Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, the Melodians and Toots and the Maytals. Many of these groups would later begin to experiment with reggae music, which made its debut in the late sixties.

The second wave of ska music, known as “Second-Wave” or “Two-Tone” ska, originated in England in the mid-seventies. This type of ska was a unique combination of traditional ska music and the then-emerging style of punk rock. It was named “Two-Tone” for the 2 Tone record label, which produced a great deal of second wave ska albums. The iconic punk rock band the Clash would experiment with the ska sound, and their anthem “Rudy Can’t Fail” (from the prolific “London Calling” album), is an homage to the “Rude Boy” subculture of ska. The Clash would even star in an independent film entitled “Rude Boy,” released in 1980, and would also perform with the legendary ska musician Desmond Dekker. Popular Two-Tone ska bands include Madness, the Specials, Bad Manners, the Higsons, the Beat, and the Bodysnatchers.

In the early to mid-nineties, a resurgence of ska took place in the United States. Third-Wave ska, as it was nicknamed, refers to bands that were influenced by Second-Wave musicians. Many of these bands had sounds that ranged from traditionally inspired ska to almost entirely punk rock. Third-wave ska bands, and also bands that were heavily influenced by ska music include Operation Ivy, Rancid, NOFX, Skankin’ Pickle, and Mustard Plug.

Ska music has its own dance, known as “skanking”. Skanking, which has been a steadfast favorite of ska fans since the very beginning of ska, is a very easy dance. To skank, one should bend at the knees and “run” in place to the beat of the music while bending the arms at the elbows making fists and punching outward. This should be done in time with the beat, alternating the left foot and right hand, etc.

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|| Bluegrass Music || Blues Music || Bossa Nova Music || Classical Music ||
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