Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae

4 votes and 0 Reviews

Rotten Tomatoes® Score
57% 80%

1h 30m | Documentary

Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae tells the story of the Rocksteady era (1966-69), considered by music experts to be the golden age of Jamaican music. A blend of ska, soul and R&B, Rocksteady developed the buoyant rhythms, prominent bass line, beautiful vocals and socially conscious lyrics that became Reggae. Forty years after Rocksteady's peak, the documentary filmmakers brought the remaining great Rocksteady singers and musicians together to record an album of their greatest hits, to perform live at a reunion concert and to tell their stories—all of it captured in this stunning film.

The singers featured in Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae are Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Dawn Penn; Hopeton Lewis, Stranger Cole, Derrick Morgan, Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles and U-Roy. Among the musicians are Ernest Ranglin, Sly Dunbar, Jackie Jackson, Gladstone Anderson, Hux Brown, Bongo Herman and Scully Simms. A special guest star in the film is Rita Marley, who along with, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths made up the I-Threes, Bob Marley's backup singers during his rapid rise to stardom. These artists reunite to take audiences on a trip through time with such legendary hits as Rivers of Babylon, The Tide Is High, No,No,No (You Don't Love Me Anymore) and Stop That Train.