Memphis’ Reggae Roots Run Deeper Than You Think

Perhaps more than any other city on earth, Memphis has played an integral role in the development of several musical genres, from blues and rock ‘n’ roll to subgenres such as power pop and trap. Lost in this mix is the important role that the Bluff City has played in the history of reggae and ska, and the small but important scene that continues to call our city home.

“The people who really know reggae and understand it’s history know that there is a debt owed to cities like Memphis and New Orleans,” says Joseph Higgins, a founding member of the city’s seminal reggae band Chinese Connection Dub Embassy. “I wish a professor or music scholar would sit down and really map out how the roots music from the South spread worldwide from Jamaica to England to everywhere else to create all these new types of music. When you step back, you can see that it’s all one.”

via Memphis’ Reggae Roots Run Deeper Than You Think.

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