This heavily illustrated guide to reggae is a colorful, herbally endowed, and sunsplashed history of one of the world's most popular musical styles. Reggae was born in 1960s Jamaica, a potent mix of such indigenous genres as ska and rocksteady plus R&B, jazz, and traditional African rhythms. Before long, it had conquered the globe, influencing musicians from Britain to Brazil. The Encyclopedia of Reggae focuses on the music's golden age, from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s heyday of dancehall, and features more than 500 images, including rare album art and ephemera. Written by one of the foremost experts on the subject, this amazing resource profiles more than 200 key performers, impresarios, and producers from reggae's history.