In the song "Trenchtown Rock," a certain legendary reggae musician opens with an infamous line: "One good thing about music/When it hits, you feel no pain."
Although this artist could have been making a statement about all music in general, the phrase seems to be tailor-made to fit reggae in particular. Classic reggae, with its slow but purposeful beat, its thick bass lines and message-laden lyrics, is about as feel-good as music comes.
For fans of reggae, the feel-good vibes are at a high right now. Last month, the world marked what would have been the 60th birthday of Jamaican-born singer/songwriter Robert Nesta Marley, better known as reggae icon Bob Marley. Events commemorating Marley's Feb. 6 birth ranged from celebrations in Jamaica and Ethiopia, to gatherings across the globe.
But for those who forgot to circle Bob's birthday on their calendars, the celebrations are far from over.
Although it's a bit belated, the Bob Marley Birthday Bash Tour 2005 will honor Mr. Marley on Friday night at The Intersection in Grand Rapids - not a bad drive for local reggae fans.
"We're not celebrating this on (Marley's) birthday, but a lot of us celebrate him every day," said David Bauman, owner of Ambassador David's Productions and producer of the annual tour. "Bob is to reggae what Elvis is to rock 'n' roll."
Bauman has been producing the reggae-themed tour for six years and has watched it grow from a one-stage, one-night show into a large-scale production traveling to several venues across the state.
"For a handful of years, I was just kind of frustrated because there wasn't any reggae music in the Michigan area," Bauman said. "After a while, I told myself I could bring bands into the southwest Michigan area. It just seemed right to pay tribute to (Marley) once a year around his birthday."
Friday night's show, which is one of the last stops of the tour, will showcase a Jamaican band, a locally based group and a DJ as well as Caribbean food and crafts.
"One thing about these shows is it's just a huge party," Bauman said. "From the very first song, there will be people on that dance floor. Some of those people don't sit down for the whole night. Every year I'm just amazed at how these people can dance for three or four hours straight."
Many people, as Bauman said, find that reggae moves them - but often in other ways than dance. For some, it's the music's connection with exotic locales. For others, it's the music's mystical qualities. And for reggae purists, it's the soulful spirituality and historical significance the music form holds.
Originating in Jamaica during the 1950s and 1960s, reggae spawned from forms of ska and rock steady music. Although it drew influence from African American music in the United States, reggae was very much a Jamaican art form and became a way for citizens to protest the country's political climate and oppression.
"Reggae is very much, like all musical forms, connected to social and cultural situations," said graduate student Marcus Shapley, host of the Reggae Sunsplash radio show that airs Sunday afternoons on WDBM (88.9-FM).
"If there's one thing Jamaicans harnessed, it's the right to speech. They utilized it and really used the venue of reggae to raise political awareness in their own communities and now it's impacted the world," he said. "That's why, even to this day, reggae probably has the most potent political message in contemporary music. It's very, very strong."
Shapley, who has been hosting the Reggae Sunsplash for about seven years, said reggae and its history are sometimes misunderstood. He said many people aren't aware that the common reggae stereotypes involving dreadlocks and cannabis actually serve a purpose - they come from the genre's infusion with Rastafari, a Jamaican spiritual movement that emerged in the 1930s.
"It can be like any other misinterpreted faith, if you only scratch the surface," Shapley said. "The dreadlocks and the music and the ganja are really just different aspects of it, like wine and blood is for other religions."
Another reggae misconception is that Marley-esque music is the be-all, end-all of the genre. But like other art forms, reggae has many subcategories. Musicians such as The Wailers and Burning Spear perform what's called "roots rock" reggae - the kind of classic reggae that Marley made famous. "Dancehall" reggae features artists such as Elephant Man and Beanie Man singing and rapping over danceable reggae songs called "riddims." And with influences coming from hip-hop and forms of electronica, "Dub" is basically instrumental reggae with sound effects and mixing.
"Reggae has music for all of life's occasions," Shapely said. "It reflects the experiences of the musicians and singers and how they live life."
The worldwide recognition of Bob Marley is just one example of how reggae has not only left a mark in history, but how it is continuing to affect people's lives.
"It's amazing how a little island like Jamaica can hit up the world," Shapely said. "Reggae is growing. More people are listening to than ever before. There's an amazing endless continuity of creativity.
"There's no end in sight."
Emily Bingham is the State News music reporter. Reached her at binghame@msu.edu
