This past year, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, and was finally recognized as one of the primary creators of the genre. Rock wasn’t lost, but that history was for a very long time. This is not about a genre of music, which will shift and change over time, being lost - it’s about the historical context being lost and the people who created that music not being fully recognized now or in the future. Reggae isn’t just a groovy soundtrack, it has a strong connect to a particular time, place, and faith. That history and context is worth preserving specifically because it has become so popular and morphed in so many ways. This isn’t about saying that you can’t play or enjoy reggae outside of the context of Rastafariaism or outside of Jamaica… it’s saying that it’s important to preserve the historical context for later generations.
13 Likes
