1/ Bob Marley singer, songwriter, and guitarist who is considered a pioneer of reggae. In the early 1960s, while a schoolboy serving an apprenticeship as a welder (along with fellow aspiring singer Desmond Dekker), Marley was exposed to the languid jazz-inflected shuffle-beat rhythms of ska, a Jamaican amalgam of American rhythm and blues and Jamaican mento (folk-calypso) strains then catching on commercially. Marley was a fan of Fats Domino, the Moonglows,when his big chance came in 1961 to record with producer Leslie Kong, he cut “Judge Not,” a peppy ballad he had written that was derived from rural maxims learned from his grandfather. Among his other early tracks was “One Cup of Coffee” (a rendition of a 1961 hit by Texas country crooner Claude Gray), issued in 1963 in England on Chris Blackwell’s Anglo-Jamaican Island Records label.
2/Gregory Isaacs was known for his smooth and romantic style. Some of his most popular songs got him the name Cool Ruler.In 1968, he made his recording debut as Winston Sinclair, with the single “Another Heartache”, recorded for producer Byron Lee.[2] The single sold poorly and Isaacs went on to team up with Errol Dunkley to start the African Museum record label and shop, and soon had a hit with “My Only Lover”, credited as the first lovers’ rock record ever made, including “All I Have Is Love”, “Lonely Soldier”, “Black a Kill Black”, “Extra Classic” and his cover version of Dobby Dobson‘s “Loving Pauper”. In 1974, he began working with producer Alvin Ranglin, and that year he had his first Jamaican no. 1 single with “Love Is Overdue”.
3/Dennis Brown Considered by some to be the most gifted singer to ever come out of Jamaica. He began his singing career at the age of nine, while still at junior school, with an end-of-term concert the first time he performed in public, although he had been interested in music from an even earlier age, and as a youngster was a fan of American balladeers such as Brook Benton, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. “Money in my Pocket”, was a hit with UK reggae audiences and quickly became a favorite of his live performances.
4/Winston Rodney The lead singer of Burning Spear, who some say is one of the best reggae singers Jamaica has ever produced
5/Jimmy Cliff A Jamaican musician who is known as the “grandfather of reggae”. He became famous at the age of 14 and is known for popularizing reggae music
6/Toots Hibbert A Jamaican singer and songwriter who is credited with helping to establish the fundamentals of reggae music. His 1968 song “Do the Reggay” is widely considered to be the song that gave the genre its name
7/Joe Higgs A Jamaican musician who is considered to be the “Godfather of Reggae”. He was a pioneer of the Jamaican music industry and mentored Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer.
8/Marcia Griffiths
9/Beres Hammond
10/Alton Ellis He learned to play the piano at a young age
11/Bunny Rugs He was also a member of The Wild Bunch before returning to New York and taking over as lead singer of Third World from Milton “Prilly” Hamilton in 1976. With Third World he recorded the successful
12 /John Holt. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns, winning 28 contests, He recorded his first single in 1963 with “Forever I’ll Stay”/”I Cried a Tear” in 1965 join the group Binders, the name was change due to one member leaving and another joining to Paragons.He subsequently concentrated on his solo career, recording for Prince Buster (“Oh Girl”, “Rain From the Skies”), Reid (“Stealing Stealing”, “Ali Baba”), Dodd (including “Fancy Make-up”, “A Love I Can Feel“, “Let’s Build Our Dreams” and “OK Fred“), Alvin Ranglin (“Strange Things”), and Phil Pratt (“My Heart Is Gone”) By the early 1970s, he was one of the biggest stars of reggae, and his work with producer Lee was key to his success;[9] “Stick By Me” was the biggest selling Jamaican record of 1972.
14/Ken Boothe
Just to name a few has made a big in pack in the reggae industry.
