Words by Daniel Neely
When the kings of mento music (and the longest-running band in Jamaican history)–The Jolly Boys–started making some serious noise again, we knew we had to get with our friend of a friend Dan Neely, who as we understand it, has a doctorate in mento-ology. Or maybe it was ethnomusicology. Either way, he is an expert on the genre–the forerunner of ska, rocksteady and reggae and Jamaica’s original musical export–and as such was instrumental in reviving interest in the JBs. Just consider this Top 10 mento tunes he put together for us as assigned reading to get you ready for the Jolly Boys episode of LargeUp TV–premiering tomorrow!