The dance halls of Jamaica in the 1950's and 60's were home to public dances usually targeted at younger patrons. Sound System operators often provided the entertainment with their massive home-made audio systems (often housed in the flat bed of a pick up truck), spinning records from popular American Rock&Roll musicians, and local ska and rocksteady performers. Dance hall owners-and the sound system operators which kept their halls hopping-often competed fiercly with other owners/operators to capture the attention of their young clientelle. This competition often lead to the hiring of Rude Boys to break up a competitors dance, which fostered the growth and violent tendencies of this particular sub-culture. In addition to these " rudies", dance halls also contributed to the rise of ska as the predominant form of popular music on the island during this time, fostered the development of early ska culture, and gave rise to a new social power in the form of major Sound System operators like Duke Reid the Trojan, and Sir Coxsone Dodd. Jump to: navigation, search // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the... Jump to: navigation, search The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... A sound system is a Jamaican patois term for a large street party. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the musical style. ... This article is about the Jamaican music. ... Rude boy, rudie, rudi or rudy is a subculture that developed in the early 1960s in Jamaica and has close ties to skinhead culture. ... Rude boy, rudie, rudi or rudy is a subculture that developed in the early 1960s in Jamaica and has close ties to skinhead culture. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the musical style. ... A sound system is a Jamaican patois term for a large street party. ... Duke Reid was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner. ... Clement Seymour Sir Coxsone Dodd (Kingston, Jamaica, January 26, 1932 – May 5, 2004) was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of reggae and other forms of Jamaican music in the 1950s, 60s and later. ...

Caribbean dance halls of today still bear strong resemblance to the days when Sir Coxsone Dodd was spinning the latest release out of Studio One. Though the music has shifted quite a bit, the same energy and spirit can be felt. Dance hall's today often serve as competition grounds for DJ's, just like they did in the early days, though today's competitions end less often in the dance being broken up by rude boys. Studio One is one of Reggaes most renowned record labels, having been described as the Motown of Jamaica. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ...

Dancehall has also come to refer to the style of music associated with more contemporary dance halls. Dancehall is a type of Jamaican reggae which developed around 1979, with artists such as Barrington Levy and others who went on to become the Roots Radics. ...

See also

• Dancehall
• Ska
• Rocksteady
• Rude Boy
• Jamaican sound system
• Jamaica
• Studio One
• Trojan Records

Dancehall is a type of Jamaican reggae which developed around 1979, with artists such as Barrington Levy and others who went on to become the Roots Radics. ... Jump to: navigation, search This page is about the musical style. ... This article is about the Jamaican music. ... Rude boy, rudie, rudi or rudy is a subculture that developed in the early 1960s in Jamaica and has close ties to skinhead culture. ... A sound system is a Jamaican patois term for a large street party. ... Studio One is one of Reggaes most renowned record labels, having been described as the Motown of Jamaica. ... Trojan Records is a label specialising in reggae and ska. ...

Additional Resources

• Stolzoff, Norman C. Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica ISBN 0822325144