Gospel reggae is a genre of music that originated 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 His ...

, mixing reggae rhythms with

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

-themed lyrics. Several reggae artists, many of whom were previously part of the

Rastafari movement Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a 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 o ...

, have converted to Christianity and adopted gospel reggae as their primary style. Examples include

Tommy Cowan Tommy Cowan CD (born Thomas Lincoln Cowan, 6 April 1946, Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica) is a producer and singer, initially working in reggae but later concentrating on gospel, who has been involved in the music business since the 1960s.Brooks, Sade ...

Carlene Davis Carlene Davis (born c.1953) is a Jamaican gospel and reggae singer active since the 1970s. Successful since the early 1980s as a reggae artist, she survived cancer in the mid-1990s, after which she dedicated her career to gospel music. She has re ...

Nora Dean Letetia Leonora McLeanObituary
hkhfuneralservices.com; accessed 7 October 2016. (8 Janua ...

Papa San Tyrone Thompson, (born July 1, 1967)
better known as Papa San, is a Jamaic ...

Sherwin Gardner Sherwin Gardner (Arima) is a Trinidadian gospel reggae singer. He is noted for his use of dancehall style and patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in l ...

, Sanchez,

Lieutenant Stitchie Cleveland Laing (born 29 September 1965), better known as Lieutenant Stitchie, is a Jamaican deejay who originally worked in the dancehall style but switched to gospel reggae in 1997 after surviving a car crash, thereafter working under the sho ...

and

Kerron Ennis Kerron Ennis Scarlett (22August 1982) is a Jamaican gospel reggae singer. Early life Kerron was born to Lascelle & Derica Ennis in Jamaica and grew up in the Patrick City Community. Her father introduced her to singers like Mahalia Jackson ...

.Reid, Tyrone S. (2007)
Tommy and Carlene: A Gospel Affair
,

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, September 2, 2007, retrieved July 7, 2011Dawes, Mark (2003)
Stitchie Singing a new tune
", ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', June 10, 2003, retrieved July 7, 2011Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 261 Other major artists in the genre include

Christafari Christafari is a Christian reggae band formed in 1989. It is centered on the personality of ordained religious minister Mark Mohr (born October 23, 1971), an American, born-again Christian. Until the age of 17, Mohr was a Rastafarian. Backgro ...

.Evans Price, Deborah (2003)
Christafari's Atypical Attraction
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'', June 28, 2003, p. 24, retrieved July 7, 2011 Lester Lewis has been described as a pioneer of gospel reggae, having won the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Gospel Song Competition in 1989 with "Every Time I Read My Bible".Jebbinson, Andre (2006)
Lester Lewis pioneer of gospel reggae style
, ''

'', December 15, 2006, retrieved July 8, 2011 The popularity of gospel reggae has been seen as a sign that reggae has taken broader hold in Jamaica, having previously been strongly identified with the Rastafarian community. Popular Gospel Reggae Dj's include DJ Proclaima from the UK. He has specialised in the genre for over two decades, reaching millions of people worldwide.Edmonds, Ennis Barrington & Gonzalez, Michelle A. (2010) ''Caribbean Religious History: An Introduction'', New York University Press, , p. 212

References

Reggae genres

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 ...

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