Ska

Before Bob Marley brought reggae to the world, before Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh, before thousands of musicians played a Jamaican rhythm, there were the men and women who created ska music, a blend of jazz, American rhythm and blues, and the indigenous music of the Caribbean. This book tells the story of ska music and its development from Jamaica to England, where the music took on a distinctively different tone, and finally to the rest of the world. Through the words of legendary artists, gleaned from more than a decade of interviews, the story of ska music is finally told by those who were there.

Heather Augustyn is a continuing lecturer in the English department at Purdue Northwest. She has written eight books on ska and Jamaican music and lives in Michigan.

Table of Contents Acknowledgments      Foreword by Cedella Marley      Preface      1. Let the Good Times Roll: Derrick Morgan, with Millicent "Patsy" Todd and Lyn Taitt      2. Queen of Ska: Doreen Shaffer with Lloyd Knibb, Lloyd Brevett, Roland Alphonso and Lester Sterling      3. Godfather of Ska: Laurel Aitken      4. Passion and Revival: Toots Hibbert      5. Big Man: Judge Dread      6. Too Much Too Young: The Specials' Roddy Radiation      7. So Hot You're Cool: The Beat's Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger      8. More Than a "Three Minute Hero": The Selecter's Pauline Black with Millie Small      9. Welcome to the House of Fun: Lee "Kix" Thompson of Madness      10. Fat Bastard: Buster Bloodvessel of Bad Manners      11. Melting Pot      Bibliography      Index