"Do the Reggay" is a

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

song by The Maytals, written by Toots Hibbert, produced by Leslie Kong and released on Beverley's in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

and Pyramid Records in the UK in 1968. It was the first popular song to use the word "

" and defined the developing genre by giving it its name. At that time, "reggay" had been the name of a passing dance fashion in

, but the song's connection of the word with the music itself led to its use for the style of music that developed from it. Toots claimed in a BBC Radio 6 Music interview that he took the word from a slang term for a person who is a bit scruffy or not well kept.

Footnotes

1968 songs 1968 singles Songs about dancing Songs about reggae Toots and the Maytals songs Songs written by Toots Hibbert Song recordings produced by Leslie Kong Novelty and fad dances {{1960s-pop-song-stub