Learn About the History of Ska Music
If you are curious about the history of ska music, which dates back to the 1950’s, here are a couple of websites worth checking out. Backy Skank has a nice article called “Ska for the Unitiated” that traces the history of ska music back to its pre-ska roots, with information about how Jamaican culture, as well as jazz, mento and the Jamaican music industry influenced the birth of ska. The article even includes a ska bibliography for those interested in further reading.
The BBC’s website has a brief yet interesting history of the 2-Tone movement’s beginnings in Coventry, England.
For something a bit more multimedia, check out this YouTube video which is a powerpoint-style clip accompanied by some classic ska sounds.
Now that you have boned up on your knowledge of ska music, head on over to the Wikipedia ska entry and help beef up the page by adding to it. Just make sure to include citations along with your facts.