Reggae genres
Ska
### Ska

Ska began in the 1950s, coinciding with Jamaica's independence from Great Britain. By the 1950s, musicians began to absorb the influences [R\&B](/wiki/R%26B "R&B") and [jazz](/wiki/Jazz "Jazz") from the United States, resulting in the development of [ska](/wiki/Ska "Ska"). It incorporates elements of mento and [calypso](/wiki/Calypso_music "Calypso music"), as well as American Jazz and R\&B, which were popular on Jamaican radio. The style is characterized by chord chops on the offbeat, sometimes called "upstrokes". The tempo is usually upbeat and often features horns, usually trumpets, saxophones, and trombones, as well as pianos and keyboards, bass, and drums. In the early\-to\-mid 1960s, ska became the most popular form of music in Jamaica and set the stage for rocksteady and reggae. Many of ska's popular acts such as [Desmond Dekker \& the Aces](/wiki/Desmond_Dekker_%26_the_Aces "Desmond Dekker & the Aces"), [Bob Marley and the Wailers](/wiki/Bob_Marley_and_the_Wailers "Bob Marley and the Wailers"), [the Skatalites](/wiki/The_Skatalites "The Skatalites"), [Toots \& the Maytals](/wiki/Toots_%26_the_Maytals "Toots & the Maytals"), [Byron Lee \& the Dragonaires](/wiki/Byron_Lee_%26_the_Dragonaires "Byron Lee & the Dragonaires"), and [the Melodians](/wiki/The_Melodians "The Melodians"), later became associated with reggae.


When did ska music begin to develop?