Abigail Washburn

I sang in a reggae band. And then there was a soul band where I sang back-up vocals and some lead. And I was also in a women's a capella group. And I was in the gospel choir at school. Actually, I've always been in choirs. Or some kind of group. Just because I love singing so much. But I truthfully never thought of it as a career.

American Musician

Matisyahu

My mother's sister married a man from Barbados, and my cousins were raised in Barbados. So we traveled down there, they came up every summer for camp, and I started paying attention to their music. And that was the first place I ever remember hearing reggae and liking it.

Colbie Caillat

Bob Marley is a huge influence. I love reggae music, but I also love the purpose of the songs he writes and the style of the music - it takes your worries away and makes you feel good, and I think that's what music is about.

Kat Dahlia

I know that people everywhere listen to hip-hop, but especially being from the South, you really get that influence. You go out, you party, and it's just always there. Also, I grew up listening and loving reggae music, too.

Boy George

In the early part of the '70s, we had glam rock, but we also had reggae and ska happening at the same time. I just took all those influences I had as a kid and threw them together, and somehow it works.

English Musician

Heavy D

Reggae was always a passion of mine. I used to say in interviews that I would love to do a reggae album. But it consumed my life being a hip-hop artist and being Heavy D, which I'm happy and proud of.

Jamaican Musician

Sean Paul

I see dancehall reggae and hip-hop as fused together, When I was a kid, they were the two kinds of music that spoke to me and said 'Move!

Tony Kanal

Look, the Jamaican dancehall stuff, the reggae influences and the ska influence, are always going to be part of our DNA.

Ziggy Marley

My father was interested in bringing reggae music to the entire world.

Shaggy

Reggae is a culture. It's easy, laid-back.

Reggae is deeply tied to Jamaican culture and Rastafarian beliefs, often expressing pride in African heritage.

Cultural Identity

Reggae songs frequently discuss issues like poverty, resistance, and justice, providing a voice for the marginalized.

Social Commentary

The reggae rhythm is unique, featuring a heavy bass line and offbeat accents known as the 'skank'.

Distinctive Sound

 and follow them to the edges of our big weird beautiful world this week we sit down with photographer rudy roy as he talks about growing up in jamaica and how the songs of reggae musician bob marley prepared him for a journalism career and ultimately led him to the front

Can You Hear the Reggae...

 Reality, though -- thankfully -- is much more fluid, and it has much more to teach. As I started to get to know this mysterious person who was my kid, my fixed, tight story of tragedy loosened. It turned out my girl loved reggae,

"Good" and "bad" are...

 This is the recognizable backbone of many genres popular around the world, from rock, country, and jazz, to reggae