Jamaican Music in England (APS Publications, 2018)
This book looks at the Jamaican presence in England between the 1960s and the 1980s from a musical point of view. The period covered concerns three crucial decades in the growth and development of Jamaican popular music in England in its various forms (rock steady and reggae mainly) and constitutes a whole. The title of the book refers to England only as developments in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are not covered in this book.
The first chapter provides some historical and cultural background to the Jamaican presence in England. The second chapter focuses on the decade of the 1970s, which was a much troubled period, and the third chapter concentrates on the 1980s, with new developments like fast-style, international reggae and a new Black British scene.
The book is mainly based on a “cultural studies” approach and the pioneering work by Dick Hebdige and Simon Jones has been an invaluable resource. Most of the songs mentioned or discussed in the book are available online, via YouTube, which should make the journey offered in this book more enjoyable.