I Don't Like Reggae, I Love It: The History of "Redondo Beach" by Patti Smith

In this  episode of I Don’t Like Reggae, I Love It, a special audio series of the Ska Boom podcast, on the historical origins and impact of reggae on popular music, I focus on Patti Smith’s embrace of reggae that started with the song “Redondo Beach” on her 1975 debut album “Horses.” The origin story of Redondo Beach is fascinating.  Originally written and published as a poem in 1972, “Redondo Beach” was recorded, then lost, then re-recorded finally making it onto Horses. It may be evidence of the first official incidence of a punk reggae hybrid.Even more fascinating is Smith's respect for and musical  friendship with  Jamaican MC Tapper Zukie, who was one of the few Jamaican artists in the late 1970s that crossed over with the emerging punk/new wave audience. Smith was such a fan, that she said she had practiced her poetry over the rhythms of the Man Ah Warrior album before reworking them as songs with her band. If you’ve listened and received some value from this episode, then please help support the podcast for as little as $3 per month on Patreon. Supporters get access to exclusive content like special episodes of this series and advanced promo chapters from my forthcoming book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History. Just go to patreon.com/skaboompodcast for more information.Please note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices