By Roy Black—- Hopeton Lewis—  BY LATE 1965, the ska beat, which had dominated Jamaican popular music since late 1961, and which was highlighted in last week’s article, was giving way to a smoother, slower, and more rhythmic form of music, which by year-end 1966, would become known as rock steady. The stage was being set for a plethora of such songs that would transform the Jamaican musical landscape forever. All of a sudden, there was a rhythmic shift in the focus of recordings from the fast horns-dominated songs to more emphasis being placed on the bass and the drum. This feature, which has remained a major ingredient of Jamaican popular music, lasting into the dancehall era, has helped tremendously in bringing to the fore several vocalists, some of whom found the frantic pace of … Read entire article »