ABSTRACT
The genre was a product of a diverse array of influences, including African-derived children’s games, the ecstatic Christian Pocomania cult, Garveyite Rastafarians, and New Orleans rhythm and blues, which was broadcast all over the Caribbean via clear-channel
radio stations in the late 1950s. These forces did not converge until the appearance of transistor radios revived Jamaican interest in popular-music recordings. Out of this state of affairs emerged the “sound system man,” who operated a generator-powered, hi-fi rig mounted on the back of a flatbed truck that would be driven to rural areas for dances. These operators, utilizing catchy handles such as “Duke Reid,” generated large audiences of fans.
