[Ads-l] Antedating of "Reggae" (Music)

[Shapiro, Fred]

Credit should then go to Ben Zimmer for discovering this antedating.

Fred Shapiro

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From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Ben Zimmer <00001aae0710f4b7-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, November 16, 2025 8:31 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Subject: Re: Antedating of "Reggae" (Music)

I shared this cite way back in Jan. 2005.

https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flistserv.linguistlist.org%2Fpipermail%2Fads-l%2F2005-January%2F045320.html&data=05%7C02%7Cfred.shapiro%40YALE.EDU%7Cf39fa7cea1294766f97208de257902e7%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638989398839668333%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mjqzKLSEP%2F%2BgzGt1knQV4cZ6xyuBsDEoJBocldnKz%2BY%3D&reserved=0<https://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2005-January/045320.html>

On Sun, Nov 16, 2025 at 2:55 PM Shapiro, Fred <
00001ac016895344-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:

> See below for antedating discovered by Dave Wilton.
>
> Fred Shapiro
>
>
> reggae (OED, 2., 1968 [22 Nov.])
>
> And the earliest known appearance in print of the name is in an
> advertisement in Kingston, Jamaica’s Daily Gleaner on 7 September 1968 for
> a band that was covering Hibbert’s song:
> TONIGHT! TONIGHT!
> THE “BOSS” SOUND
> is back at the RAINBOW CLUB
> with a
> 360° SOUND HAPPENING
> JAMAICA’S GREATEST
> Sonny Wong   Victor Wong   Derrick Herriot “The Preacher”
> Skaing Souls[?]-Crazy Mood
> This Music Got Soul
> THE MIGHTY VIKINGS
> Come do this
> Brand New Dance
> THE REGGAE
> Hear these new Fab. Tunes:
> •  Don’t tell to Mary
> •  Watch the sound
> •  Love makes a woman
> •  Lovers Holiday
> •  Red Red wine
> •  Reggae
> •  Got the Rhythm
>
>
>

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