World of Reggae Music Collection–Roots and Culture: Slavery Days

World of Reggae Music Collection: Roots and Culture

Slavery Days

In the final edition of the Roots and Culture volume of the World of Reggae Music Collection the selector presents Slavery Days. Over 400 years of slavery ravaged the Atlantic world. And in fact, the legacy of slavery has been nearly as destructive. The African Holocaust, as some in the reggae profession have termed the catastrophic event, unleashed horrific consequences for the people of Africa and for those enslaved Africans transplanted to the islands of the Caribbean.

Jamaican reggae artists played many of their Roots and Culture songs about the history and legacy of slavery. The iconic Burning Spear recorded one of the most enduring songs in this vein called “Slavery Days.” The Wailers recorded “Slave Driver” on the classic reggae album Catch A Fire. Both the Bob Marley and The Wailers full-band version of “Redemption Song (Band Version)” and the Bob Marley’s acoustic version of “Redemption Song (Album Version)” appears on this edition. Some of these songs of slavery are in fact songs of freedom.

The bands Steel Pulse, Culture, Third World, and the Wailing Souls; the reggae stars Gregory Isaacs, Lee Scratch Perry, Junior Byles, Judy Mowatt, and Peter Tosh; and the dancehall singjays Capleton, Anthony B, and Macka B all played wonderful roots tunes about the issues dealing with slavery and its impacts.

Burning Spear – Slavery Days

Burning Spear – I and I Survive

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Redemption Song (Band Version)

Junior Delgado & Lee “Scratch” Perry – Sons Of Slaves

Culture – Too Long In Slavery

Peter Tosh – Downpressor Man

Dennis Brown – Africa

Kabaka Pyramid – Never Gonna Be a Slave

Glen Brown – No More Slavery

Steel Pulse – Ku Klux Klan

Third World – 1865 (96º In The Shade)

Busy Signal – Modern Day Slavery

Stephen Marley – Old Slaves

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Slave Driver

Sly & Robbie – Slave Driver Dub

Gregory Isaacs & Soul Syndicate – Slavemaster

Peter Tosh & the Wailers – 400 Years (Jamaican Version)

Toots & the Maytals – Never Get Weary

Culture – Pay Day

Lloyd Parks – Slaving (Every Day)

Junior Byles  & Lee “Scratch” Perry – A Place Called Africa

Lucky Dube – Slave

Beres Hammond – Another Day in the System

Stephen Marley – Made in Africa

Jah Bouks – No Slave

Black-Am-I – Modern Day Freedom

Third World – Human Market Place

Steel Pulse – African Holocaust

Sizzla – Make It Right (Remix)

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Redemption Song (Album Version)

NEED

Prince Malachi – Runaway Slave

Macka B – Effects Of Slavery

Delton Screechie – Sweet Africa

Winston Prince – A Place Called Africa

Bongo Herman – African Drums

Sylford Walker – Africa Homeland

King Tubby – Africa Dub

Audley Rollens – Repatriation

Judy Mowatt – Slave Queen

Capleton – Slave Master

Anthony B – Slavery

Wailing Souls – Modern Slavery

Gregory Isaacs – Slave Master Dub

Gregory Issacs & Ranking Buckers – Slave Master / Captives

Gregory Isaacs – Runaway Slave

Dennis Alcapone & Junior Byles – Africa Stand (Place Called Africa Version)