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 ...

is one of the most popular music genres in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

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

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

, yet a

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

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 English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. Some of the popular bands include: Izrael, R.A.P. (Reggae Against Politics), Daab,

Habakuk Habakkuk, who was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Almost al ...

, Pajujo, Love Sen-C Music, Indios Bravos,

Natural Dread Killaz Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

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

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, 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; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

'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 assist ...

, 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 Misty in Roots are a British roots reggae band formed in Southall, London, in the mid 1970s. Their first album was 1979's ''Live at the Counter Eurovision'', a record full of Rastafarian songs. It was championed by BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, help ...

, who played live in the country in 1983 and 1986. In the 1980s Polish

rastafarians 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 of ...

appeared. The first Polish reggae song was performed by the band

Budka Suflera Budka Suflera (, " prompter's box") was a Polish rock band which was started in 1969 in Lublin by Krzysztof Cugowski. Although they disbanded soon after, Cugowski and Romuald Lipko reformed the band in 1974 and were active until 2014. History ...

in 1974 - ''Sen o dolinie'', music by

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

Ain't No Sunshine "Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album '' Just As I Am,'' produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar. String arran ...

, Polish lyrics by

Krzysztof Cugowski Budka Suflera (, " prompter's box") was a Polish rock band which was started in 1969 in Lublin by Krzysztof Cugowski. Although they disbanded soon after, Cugowski and Romuald Lipko reformed the band in 1974 and were active until 2014. History ...

.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 a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

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

dreadlocks Dreadlocks, also known as locs or dreads, are rope-like strands of hair formed by locking or braiding hair. Origins Some of the earliest depictions of dreadlocks date back as far as 1600–1500 BCE in the Minoan Civilization, one of Europe ...

. Some Polish reggae groups were included on the compilation album ''MUP: Reggae from Around the World'', on

RAS Records RAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label. History RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid-198 ...

. In 1999, reggae music was a prominent part of Woodstock Junctionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pol%27and%27Rock_Festival ], an annual music festival in

Żary Żary (pronounced , german: Sorau, dsb, Žarow) is a town in western Poland with 37,502 inhabitants (2019), situated in the Lubusz Voivodeship since 1999. Previously it was located within Zielona Góra Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the admin ...

, 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 Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas. History Etymology The te ...

(which might not come as a surprise, since

does not originate from

References

{{Reflist

Reggae by country