International Reggae Day takes place each year on the 1st July, celebrating the power of reggae music in the customary relaxed Jamaican way.

The International Reggae Day festival is held each year in its spiritual home of Kingston, Jamaica. Reggae music was a new genre that developed from R&B, Rocksteady and Ska in the mid 1960s. Reggae is personified globally by Bob Marley, but artists like Jimmy Cliff pioneered the Reggae sound and promoted it outside Jamaica through Island Records. It was Chris Blackwell who created record label Island Records as a vehicle to import Reggae music into the UK in the mid 1960s. As great as Bob Marley was as a Reggae artist, without Chris Blackwell championing this musical genre, we may never have heard of Bob Marley!!

The 1970s were the heyday of Reggae, so let’s embrace and celebrate International Reggae Day with this Top 20 Best Reggae Songs –

Top 20 Best Reggae Songs

1) Jimmy Cliff – Wild World ( 1970 )

2) Bob Marley – No Woman No Cry ( 1975 )

3) Dennis Brown – Money in my Pocket ( 1979 )

4) Ken Boothe – Everything I Own ( 1974 )

5) Bob Marley – One Love ( 1984 )

6) Johnny Nash – Tears On My Pillow ( 1975 )

7) Desmond Dekker & Aces – Israelites ( 1969 )

8) Bob Marley – Three Little Birds ( 1980 )

9) Jimmy Cliff – Many Rivers To Cross ( 1969 )

10) The Maytals – Monkey Man ( 1970 )

11) Bob Marley – Exodus ( 1977 )

12) Bob & Marcia – Young, Gifted & Black ( 1970 )

13) Althea & Donna – Uptown Top Ranking ( 1978 )

14) Third World – Now that we’ve found love ( 1978 )

15) Bob Marley – Is This Love? ( 1978 )

16) Jimmy Cliff – Beautiful World, Wonderful People ( 1969 )

17) Bob Marley – Jamming ( 1977 )

18) Bob Marley – Waiting In Vain ( 1977 )

19) Susan Cadogan – Hurts So Good ( 1975 )

20) Bob Marley – Iron Lion Zion ( 1992 )

The Record Press Author needs to qualify this Top 20 Best Reggae Songs. I know the Reggae purists amongst you will disagree vehemently with the above list, but it’s purely a subjective Top 20 Best Reggae Songs, from the perspective of a white guy who is partial to commercial sounding music!!

Which are your favourite Reggae songs and why? Let us know in the Reply Box below.

Celebrate your favourite Reggae song in your home or office, by ordering your favourite Reggae song in a vinyl or CD format; single, album or album cover; framed and mounted as a picture disc souvenir. You can also personalise it with an inscribed / engraved plaque…… 

ORDER NOW…….. www.myfirstrecord.co.uk/

Framed vinyl records, framed CDs and framed DVDs with a personalised plaque, make unique presents or original gifts for a special celebration  / special occasion ie a Wedding ( Wedding First Dance Song ), an Engagement Party ( Our Song ), a House Warming Party ( New Home ), a 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th Birthday ( How about the No1 song on the day of birth? ), a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding Anniversary, Father’s or Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day!!  THE PERFECT PERSONALISED PRESENT!!