Reggae Harmony: One Peole, One Love Essay

Reggae Harmony: One People, One Love

When discussing the musical genre of Reggae, one man seems to define what this eclectic Caribbean style is all about; Bob Marley.   From his style to his personal beliefs, Bob Marley is what many Americans and people throughout the world consider to be the essence of Reggae music and the nation of Jamaica.   However, one must consider the following; can one man singly represent the true nature of Reggae and essentially an entire nation through his music?   Is all Reggae music like that of Bob Marley’s?   In order to answer these questions, I attended a café which featured live Reggae on Friday nights.  

The Event

Within sight of downtown, nestled in a small shopping center, is where you will find the Caribbean Grill; a restaurant and bar which features traditional Caribbean cuisine and live Reggae music every 1st Friday.   From the servers wearing tropical themed shirts to the mural of a small Caribbean village on the water, I felt like I’d stepped into a café that was very far from the DFW Metroplex and somewhere along the blue waters of Jamaica.   Accompanied by my boyfriend Aaron and two friends Melissa and Monica, we had trouble finding a table to sit and enjoy the music that was already in full swing.   Every table in the restaurant was filled with groups or couples enjoying good food and good music.   Most of the café clientele were young adult to middle aged African Americans, Caribbean Islanders, and Anglo Americans.   However, despite the diverse ethnic make up of the audience, everyone in the café moved to strong back beat of the Reggae music blasting from the stage.   Many people were dancing happily in front of the stage while others, danced near their tables with friends.   After waiting for about 30 minutes or so, a table finally became available for our group to sit down.   Once I’d looked over the short menu which featured dishes like jerk beef patties, fried plantains, and an array of seafood, I ordered the...