Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. When it came time for The English Beat to create a logo for their first album and for marketing posters and advertisements they called upon Hunt Emerson who is a noted British cartoonist and comic book artist.  Emerson drew the Beat Girl from an original photo of a woman dancing with Prince Buster in the early 1960s that he saw in the Melody Maker in May 1979. Until now, the identity of the Beat Girl has been a mystery. But my guest Joanna Wallace has done some amazing research and online detective work to identify who the Beat girl is and to tell her fantastic and cinematic story.  Watch the documentary here.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

In this episode, I focus on the incredibly influential and often overlooked role that Eddy Grant has played in merging the sounds of ska, reggae, pop, dance and rock music. I’ve always been a huge fan and consider Grant a musical futurist who has successfully combined the best of James Brown, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley into something completely unique. I’ll be taking a look at Grant’s diverse musical career and will also dig into his most well known American hit “Electric Avenue” which went to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1983.Grant is a musical pioneer and trailblazer who has left his mark on ska, reggae, calypso, rock and pop music and deserves credit for combining the best of Black and White music beginning in the mid-60's and up through the mid 80's. Many of Grant's songs always display a lyrical or musical edge of some kind. I’ve always believed he creates protest music you can dance to.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series."Easy Life" by The Bodysnatchers may be one of the most deceptively revolutionary 2 Tone songs of all time. Though it sounds like an upbeat feminist ditty and it is remarkably catchy and danceable, a close read of the lyrics reveals some real layers to the song. “Easy Life” addresses and rejects the pressure and refusal to conform to pre-determined – often media driven – constructs of femininity. Dakkar sings: we are near to an equality/girls and boys with pay parity/we are near to an equality/the law says there is equal opportunity/but still it's a struggle/yes life is still a struggleSka Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.Dexys Midnight Runners were not a ska band, nor were they ever on the 2 Tone label, but there were interesting connections between their sound, musical approach and philosophy that make them 2 Tone adjacent. Instead of looking to Jamaica for musical inspiration, they turned to American soul and RnB and to the indigenous sound of British soul. That said, the band were part of the very first 2 Tone tour featuring The Specials, The Selecter and Madness and label head Jerry Dammers tried very hard to sign the band but to no avail. Clearly Dammers saw something in the band as their second single "Geno" went to #1 on the UK pop charts. Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.It's my humble opinion that Mirror In The Bathroom by The Beat is the most distinctive song of the 80s let alone the entire 2 Tone era. This unique sound that drummer Everett Morton and bassist David Steele created together on early songs by The Beat have served as the blueprint for much of the late 80s and early 90s American ska boom that followed. Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.If you've never heard it, "Madam Medusa" by UB40 is a protest song of the highest caliber that perfectly captures the impact Margaret Thatcher was having on Britain. It is as much a document of its time and place as "Catch a Fire" by Bob Marley and The Wailers is of early 1970s Kingston. And the song -- with lyrics written by noted British folk artist Ian Campbell and father to band members Robin and Ali Campbell -- was the main reason the band was under surveillance by MI5 in England for years.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.While Bad Manners is probably best known for their more lighthearted songs like Special Brew, Can Can and Skinhead Love Affair, one of their most memorable songs may actually be Inner London Violence, the dark and mesmerizing song written shortly before the Brixton and Hackney riots of 1981 that convulsed London and led to similar uprisings in cities all across Britain. In this episode I speak with Bad Manners original guitarist Louis Alphonso about the story behind the song, Gangster Fun singer John Bunkley about how the song influenced him. Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.If pressed to name my favorite album and song of the entire 2-Tone era I would have to say "Celebrate The Bullet" by The Selecter. Surprised? You shouldn't be. In my humble opinion "Celebrate The Bullet" broke the mold and remains the most creative and unique collection of songs to come out of the entire 2-Tone era. The Selecter created a haunting, bluesy iteration of ska that to my knowledge has never been attempted before or since. For that reason, it is a very unique record and it goes against the grain of what 2-Tone fans probably expected when it was released.Notably, it was also one of the few songs to address guns and gun violence in a direct and confrontational way that was sadly misunderstood when it was released around the gun death of John Lennon in December 1980 and the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in March 1981.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.On their second album Absolutely released in 1980, Madness began to develop and refine what came to be know as the "Nutty Sound." While ska still a large part of their overall approach, they were also tapping all of the musical influences that they loved as music obsessed teens -- late 50s rock and roll, pub rock and pop sounds like Motown. On "Embarrassment" it all comes together in a pure piece of pop that is so listenable that you may not even know they are tackling the sensitive subject of one family's complicated response to their white teenage daughter being pregnant with the child of her Black boyfriend. And while The Specials urged listeners to ditch their racist friends, Madness took another approach that was much more a slice of everyday life but no less 2 Tone in its approach to uncovering the ways that racism impacted everyday life, particularly personal relationships.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.Someone once said, "The Boiler is a song that everyone really needs to hear at least once. ... After that, it's your call." The Boiler was written by The Bodysnatchers and later recorded by The Special AKA is a first-person narrative of a "date" rape victim. The song is no less powerful and devastating today as it was when it was recorded more than 40 years ago. If you haven’t heard The Boiler, it is a powerful and important piece of music. It is social commentary of the highest caliber that will doubtless disturb but, hopefully also inspire. It is 2 Tone through and throughSka Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.Free Nelson Mandela might be the song that finally demonstrated the power of 2 Tone. The song was originally released as a single in March of 1984 by The Special AKA from their In The Studio album to protest the imprisonment of Mandela by the apartheid regime in South Africa. The song soon became the unofficial anthem for the international anti-apartheid movement that put pressure on the then white minority regime in South Africa. It took 27 years but Mandela was finally freed in 1990 and then elected President in 1994. While the song had a world changing impact in helping to draw attention to apartheid and Mandela's situation, the origins of the song – written by Jerry Dammers -- are fascinating and quite dramatic, not only because of the impact of the song, but also the strange and surreal circumstances under which it was recorded. The In The Studio album on which it appears took 2 years and cost half a million pounds to produce making it one of the most expensive albums ever made.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to Ska Boom Interviews, which is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History now available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  The goal of this podcast is talk about ska with an emphasis on American ska history and the bands, musicians and people who have helped to create and influence a uniquely American version of ska and reggae that spans from the late 70s until today. In this episode, I’m speaking with Noah Shachtman, the editor in chief of Rolling Stone Magazine. Prior to taking over at Rolling Stone, Noah worked as an editor at Wired Magazine and Foreign Policy Magazine before serving as the editor in chief for The Daily Beast. Before he was an award winning journalist, Noah was a bass player and played with a variety of leading American ska and reggae bands including Skinnerbox, Version City Rockers, Stubborn All Stars and Easy Star All Stars as well as helping to co-found the Sub-Atomic Sound System with Lee "Scratch" Perry. One of the first ska specific things Noah did once he was in charge at Rolling Stone was to book The Slackers to perform live at Rolling Stone Studios last December.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George.This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to Ska Boom Stories which is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History now available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  The goal of the Ska Boom podcast is talk about ska with an emphasis on American ska history and the bands, musicians and people who have helped to create and influence a uniquely American version of ska and reggae that spans from the late 70s until today. Though Augustus Pablo never gained the international recognition of a Bob Marley, he is one of reggae's legitimate legends, a pioneer who flipped the genre completely upside down. Along with producer King Tubby, Pablo helped to pioneer dub – no mean feat considering his main instrument was the lowly plastic melodica. The fact is that Pablo was the first musician to popularize the melodica and had a direct influence on other more mainstream bands that added the plastic instrument to their songs. Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on the Pantheon Podcasts.This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to Ska Boom Stories which is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History now available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  The goal of the Ska Boom podcast is talk about ska with an emphasis on American ska history and the bands, musicians and people who have helped to create and influence a uniquely American version of ska and reggae that spans from the late 70s until today. Like me, you’ve probably heard 'Pass the Dutchie' many times. And it probably makes you smile and dance. I never get tired of hearing it. What isn’t well-known is that MY trace their origins all the way back to the iconic 60s Jamaican rocksteady act The Techniques. What also isn’t very well know is the very sad story behind their ride from obscurity to fame and back again in just 15 months in the early 80s when the members were all still young teenagers.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on the Pantheon Podcasts.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to Ska Boom Interviews, which is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History now available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  The goal of this podcast is talk about ska with an emphasis on American ska history and the bands, musicians and people who have helped to create and influence a uniquely American version of ska and reggae that spans from the late 70s until today. In honor of the 30th anniversary of Stubborn Records, I interview Jeff Baker (KA: King Django) and Matt Wixson who have partnered to issue Still Stubborn Volume 1 which features a variety of artists including The Slackers, Big D and The Kids Table, Buford O’Sullivan and more performing songs from the vast and diverse Stubborn Records discography. I’ll speak to Jeff and Matt about the comp and also explore the early days of Stubborn Records and the Stubborn All Stars band and discuss Jeff’s important and long-lasting contribution to American ska and reggae.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Part of Pantheon PodcastsPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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

Welcome to “Punky Reggae Party” a special audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the historical origins and impact of reggae on popular music that will explore the phenomenon of punk and post-punk bands adopting the sounds of reggae. The musical development which ignited Danny Elfman’s interest in starting Oingo Boingo and inspired him to start writing his first conventional pop songs was the emergence of British 2 Tone ska bands whose music reminded him of the Highlife he had heard when he travelled throughout West Africa in the early 70s. As he said in an interview: “Hearing the ska that came out of England around 1978 is what turned me around. Highlife was a little more Latin than ska, but really up-tempo. It was hearing The Specials, Selecter and Madness and then XTC, who really clicked for me.”Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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.Part of Pantheon PodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In honor of Black History Month and as part of my mission to share unique and often untold American ska stories, this episode of Ska Boom Stories is dedicated to John Spence the original lead singer of No Doubt.Spence often gets short shrift whenever the story of No Doubt is told and regrettably his contribution to the band has been somewhat overlooked and slightly scrubbed from No Doubt’s history. On the one hand I understand that because his story is a sad one. But the truth is that without Spence there might never have been a No Doubt. And I also think its important to make note of the important contributions of Black American musicians in helping to popularize a uniquely American version of ska.Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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.Part of Pantheon Podcasts.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “Punky Reggae Party” a special audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the historical origins and impact of reggae on popular music that will explore the phenomenon of punk and post-punk bands adopting the sounds of reggae.If any band deserves the title of punky reggae kings its Steel Pulse. They helped invent British reggae and their debut single "Ku Klux Klan: is definitely one of the great punk singles, without actually being a punk record. Steel Pulse were also instrumental in making reggae part of punk’s repertoire and were as vital to the explosion of punk as The Clash and the Sex Pistols.Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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.Part of Pantheon PodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “Punky Reggae Party” a special audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the historical origins and impact of reggae on popular music that will explore the phenomenon of punk and post-punk bands adopting the sounds of reggae.If any band could give the 2 Tone bands and The Clash a run for their money when it came to singing about the state of politics in the late 70s and early 80s, it was the Gang Of Four. And, if you listen carefully, many of the band’s earliest songs have bass lines inspired by dub reggae. Their debut single “Damaged Goods” employs the drop-in/drop-out stylings of dub. And instead of guitar solos, the band had anti-solos, leaving space and holes in songs. And by incorporating elements of dub reggae into their sound Gang of Four created something brand new.Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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.Part of Pantheon PodcastsLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to “Punky Reggae Party” a special audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the historical origins and impact of reggae on popular music that will explore the phenomenon of punk and post-punk bands adopting the sounds of reggae.On February 27, 1986, the Cosby Show, then the most popular TV show in America aired an episode that featured the music of Black Uhuru. Let that sink in for a moment. How often did you hear roots reggae on American network television in the 80s? Though just a few minutes and part of a comedic bit it really is an extraordinary moment when a Black Uhuru song was broadcast into the American heartland.More than any other reggae artists, Black Uhuru have successfully and consistently transcended stylistic barriers tapping rock and other musical influences, yet they have done so without compromising either the genre or the philosophy that propels it. And after the death of Bob Marley in 1981, the mantle of bringing the sound of reggae to America and the rest of the world was taken up by Black Uhuru. They covered a song by Little Steven Van Zandt, licensed their music for use on TV and toured with the The Rolling Stones and The Police. They also played a memorable show at Soledad Prison.Ska Boom is hosted/co-produced by Marc Wasserman & co-produced/engineered by Rob George.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” 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