Ska is a genre of music characterized by its strong offbeat, horns and walking bass that originated in Jamaica.

Sage Creek junior Alex Wagner says that “extensive use of many different instruments, including brass” set ska apart from other genres.

Ska music has faded in and out of popularity since the 1950s, starting with Jamaican ska, entitled first wave, then two-tone, or second wave, and then third wave characterized by its unique guitar and dances. However, the history behind it is quite interesting.

In Jamaica, mento music is a folk genre that combines European (mainly English) music and traditional West African music. Calypso is a more general Caribbean style, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago. It is more island-like and combines traditional West African music with more general European music. Calypso has always had a stronger concept than mento and is usually satirical and critical of authority.

Not long after WW2, Jamaicans began buying radios, allowing them to hear music, namely R&B and Jazz, from the Southern USA.

After this, Jamaicans began making songs, quickly creating a new genre that combined mento and calypso with the music they were hearing from the U.S. This combination of criticizing authority, upstrokes on the off-beat, and strong horns led to the unique sound of ska.

Pioneers of this first wave of ska were mainly Prince Buster, Coxsone Dodd, the Skatalites and Eric “Monty” Morris.

“The background music is often upbeat, so when you’re listening to a sad song, it doesn’t feel like it,” Wagner said.

Ska soon after spread to the U.S., where it became rocksteady and reggae.

In the 1970s, ska reappeared in England, named “2-tone” after a record label formed by one of the leading practitioners, British band The Specials.

2-tone combined ska with punk rock, making a faster and more aggressive ska. It strove for racial unity, likely due to high racial tensions in England at the time. It was pioneered by The Specials, The English Beat and Madness.

Another 20 years later, ska returned to popularity once more. Entitled “third wave,” this was more influenced by punk rock. It was full of large guitar riffs and strong horns. 

The third wave was much more multinational than the previous waves of ska. In the UK, The Burial and the Hotknives led a reemergence of ska for the third time. In Spain, especially the Basque Country, Kortatu and Potato led ska to regional popularity, where it was picked up by Skalariak and Betagarri, who spread ska to the rest of Spain.  

Australian 2-tone had a larger influence on third wave, and bands like the Porkers led ska to popularity. The Melbourne Ska Orchestra, a 34-member band, has received multiple awards for their music and still plays music today. 

In Russia, a Soviet ska scene rose to popularity in the 1980s, in opposition to more traditional Russian rock music. N.O.M. popularized the scene in Russia, then spread worldwide after the collapse of the Soviet Union by Spitfire, Leningrad, and Markscheider Kunst. 

Japanese ska, unlike many other regions, is still quite popular in modern times. It also has a unique sound and has been entitled J-ska. For example, the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra has achieved mild international success and remains influential in Japan. 

In Latin America, ska band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, from Argentina, by far the most popular Latin American ska band, received and were nominated for multiple awards, especially for their single “El Matador.” 

The U.S. saw ska once more become mainstream. The Uptones and the Toasters spread third-wave ska, which soon became ska-punk, led by Operation Ivy, Fishbone and the Mighty Mighty BosstoneS. A few years later, the ska-punk band No Doubt pushed ska-punk to mainstream popularity. Ska-punk removed much of the R&B aspect of ska, in turn for even faster tempos and often guitar distortion. 

The two main regions for US ska during this time were New York City and Orange County, though the Bay Area also contributed significantly with bands like the Dance Hall Crashers and Let’s Go Bowling.

In Orange County, California especially, ska-punk became popular, with the emergence of bands like Reel Big Fish and No Doubt. Orange County is the origin of the term “third wave” ska.

In the 1990s, new ska-based labels were formed for ska bands, such as Jump Up Records for the Midwest, Steady Beat Recordings for Southern California and Stomp Records for Canada. Many punk labels, such as Hellcat Records, Asian Man Records and Fueled by Ramen, ventured into ska and ska-punk music.

Finally, in the 1990s, ska and ska-punk were becoming truly mainstream. The Mighty Mighty BosstoneS’ album “Question the Answers” achieved gold and reached Billboard’s top 200. Just a couple of years later Rancid, consisting mainly of old members of Operation Ivy, released the single “Time Bomb,” which reached 8 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks, cementing ska-punk as a mainstream genre.

In the next few years, many more ska singles became hits, like Reel Big Fish’s “Sell Out” and the Mighty Mighty BosstoneS’ “The Impression That I Get,” both of which would have their albums become platinum.

In the years since ska has once more faded in popularity – until recently.

In 2017, Captain SKA achieved number four on the UK Singles Chart with their single “Liar Liar GE2017.” Just one year later the Interrupters released their single “She’s Kerosene,” gaining surprising popularity. Fans wonder: is there a “fourth wave” of ska coming on?

The ska community is also very open.

“Everyone I have met that is a part of the community is very nice,” says Wagner. “They just want to make the most of life.”

Mike Park runs Asian Man Records, a prominent record label out of Monte Sereno, California that focuses mainly on ska and punk rock music.

The ska community is “a really welcoming environment,” said Park. “Artists and fans alike try to provide a safe environment for all who attend regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, age, or wealth status.”

According to Park, ska artists are just “Normal people who love music.”

Ska is for everyone. Let’s keep it that way.