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

is one of the most popular music genres in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. The

rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

philosophy is considered to constitute the main influence on Polish reggae. The majority of songs are sung in Polish, yet a

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

n group R.A.P. provides an important exception to both of the above, since its members clearly stated to have nothing to do with the rasta movement and sung almost exclusively in English. Some of the popular bands include: Izrael, R.A.P. (Reggae Against Politics), Daab, Habakuk, Pajujo, Love Sen-C Music, Indios Bravos, Natural Dread Killaz, and

Vavamuffin Vavamuffin is a Polish raggamuffin, roots reggae and dancehall band from Warsaw. They were formed in 2003 and have released five albums under the label Karrot Kommando. The band members are Pablopavo, Reggaenerator, Gorg, Emili Jones, Jahcob Junio ...

.
The reggae group Izrael (1983-1995), from

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, which released at least three albums on Tess Records, has been cited as an example of reggae's popularity in Poland.
The reggae group R.A.P. (Reggae Against Politics) (1985-1987), from Gliwice, did not manage to release any albums during their short existence but their music was not forgotten and in the late 1990s four bootleg albums were legally released by labels Zima Records and Kaya Production. In 2011 Zima Records released R.A.P.'s first official studio album, originally recorded in 1986. The Warsaw Village Band has been noted to take traditional Polish folk songs and add a reggae touch.

History

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's music is credited as introducing reggae to Poland, and beginning a vibrant reggae movement there. According to reggae studies professor

Carolyn Cooper Carolyn Cooper CD (born 20 November 1950) is a Jamaican author, essayist and literary scholar. She is a former professor of Literary and Cultural Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica. From 1975 to 1980, she was an assis ...

, Marley's lyrics of "resistance against the system" have been a basis of inspiration for some human rights demonstrations in Poland. Another influence was British Rastafarian band Misty in Roots, who played live in the country in 1983 and 1986. In the 1980s Polish

Rastafarians Rastafari is an Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of the movement and much ...

appeared. The first Polish reggae song was performed by the band Budka Suflera in 1974 - ''Sen o dolinie'', music by

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer and songwriter. He is known for having several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Use Me ( ...

- Ain't No Sunshine, Polish lyrics by Krzysztof Cugowski.youtube
''Sen o dolinie'' by K. Cugowski live music The first homegrown Polish reggae groups started in the 1980s,Heim, Chris. "Reggae ambassadors: Bands worldwide adopt Jamaica's musical language", ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', 1988-12-20, p. 3. and some even took on the reggae look, complete with

dreadlocks Dreadlocks, also known as dreads or locs, are a Hairstyle, hairstyle made of rope-like strands of matted hair. Dreadlocks can form naturally in Hair#Texture, very curly hair, or they can be created with techniques like twisting, Backcombing, ba ...

. Some Polish reggae groups were included on the compilation album ''MUP: Reggae from Around the World'', on RAS Records. In 1999, reggae music was a prominent part of Woodstock Junction, an annual music festival in

Żary Żary (, , , ) is a town in western Poland with 37,502 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship. It is the administrative seat of the Żary County and of the Gmina Żary within the county, though the town is not part of the gmina (c ...

, Poland. Polish-language reggae has retained its popularity over the years, and an all-Polish-language radio station in New York state is more likely to play reggae music than polka music (which might not come as a surprise, since polka music does not originate from

References

{{Reggae

Reggae by country