The Caribbean Islands, also known as the West Indies, include the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico),
the Lesser Antilles (Martinique and Guadeloupe), the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, and Trinidad and Tobago; is rich in culture and music.
Caribbean folk and popular music are a mixture of West African and European (primarily Spanish) influences. West Africans brought their unique musical
style elements as well: special tempo-setting rhythms played by claves or bells, multi-layered and syncopated rhythms, and songs in call-and-response formats. Europeans
brought with them the guitar, Spanish dance forms, and a Western European use of harmony. Today, the styles of Caribbean music vary from island to island. In Cuba, the most
important style of music is the son (sohn), a rural style of songs for dancing. It includes mambo dance music, among others. Another popular Afro-Cuban dance is the rumba,
which became popular as an American ballroom dance in the 1930s. The Dominican merengue is a dance form that is also popular in Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Venezuela. Jamaican reggae,
popularized by a group called Bob Marley and the Wailers, was preceded by styles called ska and rock steady. Puerto Rican musical styles include the bomba, which uses
a call-and-response format and has drum accompaniment, and the plena, which is a ballad (story song) style similar to some found in Mexico. Calypso developed mainly in
Trinidad and Tobago, is a popular style of song that often contains comical social criticism and satire. A less well-known style is tamboo bamboo, which involves using
stamping tubes made of bamboo. Trinidad and Tobago are also known as the birthplace of steel drum bands.
Popular Musicians of Barbados include:.
Rihanna
Today’s well known pop icon is a product of Barbados. At the age of 15, Rihanna received her big break when one of her friends introduced her to music producer
Evan Rogers, who was vacationing in Barbados with his wife. Rogers, along with his partner, Carl Sturken, helped Rihanna record material in the US which was sent to
various recording companies. One copy of Rihanna's work was sent to Jay-Z, who eventually signed her to his record label Island Def Jam Records. Rihanna's debut album
Music Of The Sun, which she co-wrote, was released in August 2005. The first single released from the album was the track "Pon De Replay", which peaked at number 2 on both
the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart due to considerable airplay. The second single, "If It's Lovin' That You Want", was less successful than its predecessor,
climaxing on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 36, and number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. The album itself peaked within the top ten in Canada, and the US, and within
the top forty in the UK. It has received platinum certifications in several countries, and received a Gold certification in the US by the RIAA.
Mighty Gabby
A Barbadian calypsonian and a Cultural Ambassador for the island of Barbados. He is the youngest calypsonian to win the calypso crown in Barbados at age 19 in 1968 and
went on to win the Calypso king title again in 1969, 1976, 1985, 1999, 2000. He has penned over 700 songs and was awarded Folk Singer Of The Year in 1977, 1978 and 1979.
He has been writing and singing calypso music for over 30 years, and is known for his satirical songs criticizing politicians and cultural trends.
Jackie Opel
Born Dalton Bishop in 1938 in Barbados, Jackie Opel was gifted with a rich, deep, powerful voice only surpassed by his astounding voice range, impeccable diction and smooth dance moves.
In the early 60s he went to Jamaica, where his music career really took off. He performed with leading Jamaican bands of time such as the leading ska group in Jamaica,The Skatalites,
from '62-'65, where he was the lead singer. He also performed many duos with Doreen Shaffer. In 1964, The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston and Beverly Kelso) recorded
backing vocals for him. Bob Marley identified Jackie Opel as one of his major influences and acknowledged the fact that he and his group the Wailers used to open many of Jackie’s
shows in the early days. One of the things Jackie Opel is accredited with is the invention of spouge music. In late 1973 Jackie Opel died in a car crash in St. Michael, Barbados.
