Ska Boom-Episode 020: Rock Stars Who Played Ska
b'On this episode I take a look at a number of key Gen X era musicians who dabbled in or experimented with playing ska and reggae music before they went on to have huge star making careers.\\xa0While kids in the UK lived next door to Jamaican neighbors and were accustomed to hearing reggae music all the time, there was no corresponding culture or experience with the genre here in the U.S.\\xa0 Occasionally a song like \\u201cMy Boy Lollipop\\u201d or \\u201cThe Israelites\\u201d or \\u201cMother and Child Reunion\\u201d would end up on Top 40 radio in the 60s or 70s, but it was rare.\\xa0But that began to change in the late 70s and early 80s when notable British musicians and bands like The Clash, The Police, Elvis Costello, and Joe Jackson -- began to incorporate the rhythms of ska and reggae into their songwriting and these songs began to find a receptive audience here in the U.S.\\xa0 And as the sound of ska and reggae expanded, more American bands began to experiment.\\xa0So let\\u2019s have some fun. I\\u2019ll play a ska or reggae song by three\\xa0 of these future Gen X superstars and you see if you can guess who they are.\\xa0Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the \\u201cFair Use Doctrine\\u201d as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'