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SOUTH AFRICA There have surely been South African influences on Jamaican music. The instrumental 'Skokian', originally by penny whistle player August Musurugwa, was highly popular in Jamaica. It was adapted by several reggae artists in the1960's and the 1970's. I once dug up a South African pressing of Millie's album My Boy Lollipop in a charity shop in Pretoria. On the back of the sleeve, bluebeat is described as 'a strong danceable beat very similar to the kwela in its strong bass line'. Kwela is traditional folk music of the Cape Town Carnivals in South Africa. The much covered 'Tom Hark', that also pops up on this album, is an example of this kind of music. It was typical for South Africa during apartheid that not the black Millie, but a white boy and a white girl were pictured on the sleeve. Surprisingly, the song 'My Boy Lollipop' climbed to the number one slot in the South African hit parade. 'Israelites', by the also black Desmond Dekker, would reach the same position in South Africa a few years later. South African pressings |