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- The Specials. 3,694 votes. Starting off with a bang, The Specials were pioneers of the 2 Tone and ska movement that erupted in the late '70s and early '80s.
- Madness. 3,040 votes. Next up, Madness have etched their name in the annals of ska history with their distinctive blend of British pop and classic ska influences.
- Toots & the Maytals. 1,764 votes. Toots & the Maytals are a Jamaican musical treasure, with a career spanning over five decades. Often credited as the originators of reggae, they've made an indelible mark on ska music as well – providing the soundtrack to countless summers and inspiring generations of musicians.
- The Skatalites. 2,670 votes. As one of the original ska bands, the Jamaican-born Skatalites were instrumental in shaping the sound of the genre. Formed in the early '60s, their unique blend of jazz and Caribbean rhythms set the stage for countless other ska acts to come.
- Reel Big Fish
- Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- Madness
- The Specials
- The Uptones
- No Doubt
- Streetlight Manifesto
- Relient K
- Less Than Jake
- The Toasters
Even music aficionados who aren’t well-versed in ska recognize the name of Reel Big Fish. The band, which formed in Orange County in the 1990s, quickly became a fixture of third-wave ska with their debut album, Turn the Radio Off. Reel Big Fish enjoyed mainstream success with the album and “Sell Out,” the first track of their second album. They had...
The Mighty Mighty Bosstonesborrowed the sound of SoCal ska-punk but with roots in Boston. The band began playing together in 1983 and continued until they decided to call it quits in early 2022. For almost forty years, the original lineup remained, adding various brass and percussion members as their popularity grew. The Bosstones made a cameo appe...
Notable for their two-tone ska style, we have the English band Madness. They formed in 1976 and had quite the success from the onset and into the early 1980s. Even if you’re not a ska fan, you might have heard their songs “House of Fun” and “Our House.” The former was their first, and only, #1 hit in the UK, while the latter topped the chart in Can...
UK-based The Specialsis a ska band with inextricable political ties. Commenting on youth, culture, interpersonal relations, and global events, they contributed perhaps the most foundational ska sound to their country in the 1980s and beyond. They’re known for their 1980 hit single “Too Much Too Young” as well as “Ghost Town,” released the year afte...
Though The Uptoneswere a part of the Northern California ska contingent, they borrowed their sound from the British wave. They were also a band that preserved the Jamaican elements of ska without developing too far from its island origins. The Uptones’s influence in the genre found a place between the initial ‘80s UK sound and pop/reggae from the l...
Though they weren’t a pure ska band, No Doubt’s eclectic blend of musical contributions included a heavy dose of off-beat rhythms and basslines borrowed from the genre. The fusion of punk, new wave, and alternative rock that flowed from their songs gripped the musical culture of the 1990s and got significant MTV airplay. Singer Gwen Stefani and the...
One of the more modern iterations of the ska genre, Streetlight Manifestodidn’t appear on the scene until the early 2000s. Despite various lineup changes and disagreements with their recording label, the group released several albums in the past couple of decades to much acclaim. Founding member Tomas Kalnoky famously utilizes aspects of the 1950s ...
An unassuming band from Ohio, Relient Ksuccessfully crossed boundaries in more than one way. Beginning punk but adding facets of ska, pop/rock, and even gospel, they provided a clean and high-energy sound for ska fans in the late ’90s and early 2000s. They also successfully cornered the Christian listening market for punk rock while also seeing suc...
With their start in Gainesville, Florida, back in 1992, Less Than Jakehas just celebrated their 20th year of making music. The group is a noted Warped Tourveteran and has made other appearances at virtually every big music venue and festival in the past two decades. Commercial success came in 2003 with the release of their album Anthem, which had t...
Though the modern ska sound is most prevalent now, The Toasterswas one of the originators of second-wave ska. This subgenre fused Jamaican reggae and British punk traditions into an American new-wave formula, later copied quite successfully by bands like No Doubt. The Toasters formed in 1981 and tried to release their first EP in 1985 but couldn’t ...
Aug 9, 2023 · 1. The Specials. The members of The Specials grew up in the United Kingdom and were strongly influenced by 2-tone Jamaican music and punk rock. By combining the two styles in a fun, danceable, and politically-conscious package, they managed to become one of the most acclaimed ska groups of all time.
Apr 18, 2022 · We’ve compiled a list of the 100 best ska bands of all time, spanning all sub-genres of ska music. From classic bands like The Specials and Madness to newer groups like Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish, you will definitely find a ska band on this list to suit your taste.
- The Skatalites. The Skatalites are credited with being one of the most important bands to have ever come out of Jamaica and pre-date both ska and reggae music.
- The Specials. Formed during the second wave of Ska in the late 1970s. The Specials are internationally acclaimed, and legendary on the ska scene. Despite having over 30 members of the band through various incarnations, the Specials’ unmistakable sound has become a ska staple, and they have cemented themselves as one of the most important ska bands of all time.
- Prince Buster. The unmistakable horns and swinging drums that made Prince Buster one of the true progenitors of the ska sound are still reverberating through the scene today.
- Toots and the Maytals. Possibly one of the most loved individuals to ever grace the Jamaican music scene, “Frederick Toots” Hibbert and the Maytals are a musical institution.
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In this article, our team ska-lovers have cherry-picked their ultimate list of the 48+ best ska bands of all time, from early pioneers to modern-day ska classics. Let’s dive in! Our 48+ Best Ska Bands Of All Time 48. Prince Buster. Formed: 1961 Best Known Track: All My Loving
Dec 19, 2023 · However, even though reggae became insanely popular, ska bands still exist even to this day. In fact, I think the names that appear in this list of the best ska bands of all time will probably surprise you. 1. Madness
