Lovers Rock
Lovers Rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.
The roots of lovers' rock lies in the last days of the rocksteady era and early days of reggae, with Jamaican and American singers such as Ken Boothe, Johnny Nash) and John Holt enjoying international hits with versions of well-known love songs.
The UK Lovers Rock Story
Ginger Williams, Louisa Mark, 15 16 & 17, Brown Sugar & Janet Kay are some of the UK based female artists that were prominent in the 1970's.
The 1970's Lovers Rock UK Exhibition is the first ever to focus on the foundation years of the genre. Artists and bands who have so often been overlooked are highlighted and the most successful artists of the period like Janet Kay (Silly Games) are celebrated.
A serious attempt is made to establish the chronology of when UK based reggae artists and bands released their first Lovers Rock song. The exhibition charts the evolution from a Jamaican sound to a distinctively British sound, from Romantic Reggae to UK Lovers Rock.