Reggae is Jamaica’s gift to the world—a form of music that captivates the mind, warms the heart and uplifts the soul. In honor of our exclusive interview with Ziggy Marley, we present to you this guide to the best places in SoCal to enjoy live reggae, the genre’s essential albums and a brief, but poignant history of Bob Marley’s other gift to the world, Tuff Gong Studio. Roots, rock, reggae . . .

Sound System

The legendary Tuff Gong studio is as authentic as its founder

By Paul Rogers

Tuff Gong is the record label and recording studio founded by Bob Marley in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1970 (“Tuff Gong” was his nickname). Now located in one of Kingston’s bustling industrial districts, the studio remains synonymous with world-class reggae and has hosted everyone from Maxi Priest to Beres Hammond; Sade to Sinead O’Connor.

“Bob Marley’s standard is a high standard, so we try to keep it,” explains Roland McDermott, a Tuff Gong engineer for the past 14 years who’s worked with the likes of Jimmy Cliff, Gilberto Gil and multiple Marley offspring. “Plus, we were taught by the engineer of Bob Marley, Errol Brown. [Tuff Gong], it’s one of the best live recording studios on the island and perhaps worldwide.

“It is a real authentic place to record reggae and roots music.”

Marley’s legacy is very literal and visible at Tuff Gong, as many of his children continue to record there. “We’re currently working with Ky-Mani Marley and a few months ago Stephen Marley was there for over-dubbing his album,” McDermott explains in his wonderfully warm Caribbean lilt. “Damian passes through and does his thing too. All these guys always have a project working on—that’s what keeps the business going.”

Ziggy and Rita Marley also record at Tuff Gong, as do upcoming buzz artists like Protégé and Christopher Ellis. The original version of the 2010 soccer World Cup song “Wavin‘ Flag (The Celebration Mix)”, by Somali-Canadian artist K’Naan, was created there.

The studio’s creative vibe is legendary. Lauryn Hill, who recorded much of her massively successful The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill album at the facility, says in her biography “I wanted a place where there was good vibes, where I was among family, and it was Tuff Gong.”

“Tuff Gong is a place, if you should come there now, you don’t want to leave.  Because it isn’t like all the studios . . . When you come to Tuff Gong, it’s a different vibe, sound-wise,” says McDermott. “We have to move with the technology, but we have also kept the original piano and BG organ that was from in Bob’s days, and microphones and headphones.  We keep it a mixture, y’know?  Whenever a client come to Tuff Gong to work, we have the real, authentic things to give them.”

You can learn more about this legendary studio at www.tuffgong.com.

Strictly Rockers

Naming five essential reggae albums is rather like creating one of those “100 Most Beautiful People” lists—almost ludicrous in its subjectivity. So we’ve opted for records that are both musical monsters and significant shapers of this almost ganja-synonymous style (and assumed Bob Marley and The Wailers’ gazillion-selling Legend compilation is a given). Here goes (in no particular order):

BUNNY WAILER: Blackheart Man

Oft overshadowed by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh while in The Wailers, Bunny Wailer retreated deep into the Jamaican countryside after leaving the group in 1973. But apparently ol‘ Bunny’s musical juices kept a-flowin‘ because upon his return to the studio in ’76 he created Blackheart Man which, though he’s made some fine albums since, remains his definitive solo statement. Wailer’s delicate tenor belies material both outraged (“Fighting Against Conviction,” “The Oppressed Song”) and deeply spiritual (“Rasta Man,” “Reincarnated Souls”), with supple, bouncy backing from Marley, Tosh and Wailers rhythm section Carlton and Aston “Family Man” Barrett. A genuine, gentle classic.

JIMMY CLIFF/VARIOUS ARTISTS: The Harder They Come

The Harder They Come is the soundtrack album from the classic 1972 reggae film of the same name. While both movie and record star Jamaican reggae/ska singer Jimmy Cliff, the album is effectively a compilation of late 1960s and early ’70s reggae which also features notable tracks from The Maytals, Desmond Dekker and others. But it’s the Cliff penned and sung classics “The Harder They Come” and “Many Rivers to Cross” which helped propel reggae from a Jamaican phenomenon to a global sensation. Even if you’ve never heard Cliff’s silky, sensitive timbre, the remakes of “Harder” (by everyone from Rancid to Cher) and “Rivers” (Annie Lennox, UB40 etc.) are hard to avoid.

BURNING SPEAR: Marcus Garvey

This 1975 roots reggae landmark is something of an acquired taste: short, repetitive mantras where jaunty grooves and celebratory horns incongruously support vocals more mournful than melodic and somber lyrics about Rastafarianism and activist Marcus Garvey. Though Burning Spear (a.k.a. Walter Rodney) was a young man with a fiery message, he conveyed this through oddly hypnotic chants rather than heavy hooks, and within a seductive Trojan Horse of bulbous basslines and gorgeously ska-like swing. Rodney has never been a singles artist so, whether you take Marcus Garvey as political rant or license to skank, it’s best swallowed whole.

BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS: Catch a Fire

Most Bob Marley-related albums could grace this list on musical merit, but 1973’s Catch a Fire, being The Wailers’ international breakout, is also a genre landmark. Many of Catch a Fire’s songs, in earlier incarnations, were already known in Jamaica, but the album’s minimalist yet textured production (by Marley and Island Records’ Chris Blackwell) opened them up to global ears. Though Blackwell controversially added overdubs by American musicians, Catch a Fire lost none of its Kingston-born sense of injustice or unmistakably Jamaican grooves. The original cover art announced simply “The Wailers,” but “Bob Marley and” (plus a photo of the man enjoying an enviable fatty) was soon added. A superstar was born.

THE ABYSSINIANS: Satta Massagana

1969’s “Satta Massagana” was the first song Jamaican vocal trio The Abyssinians ever recorded and it remains a Rastafarian anthem to this day. Though the album of the same name has a convoluted release history (and was also titled Forward on to Zion), it officially debuted in 1976 and, while most of its songs—including the much-remade “Declaration of Rights”—sound very similar to “Satta Massagana,” The Abyssinians’ tight vocals and intense spirituality made an instant impact. Littered with Biblical and Rasta references (with parts of the title track sung in the Ethiopia’s Amharic tongue), Satta Massagana is a super-sincere monument to heavenly harmonies and god-like groove. (Compiled by Benny Lopez)

Bastions of Bass

SoCal might be far from Trenchtown, but it’s got killa‘ reggae venues

By Paul Rogers

It may be a long way from Southern California to Kingston, but thanks to some great area reggae venues we can still get irie with the genre’s finest artists. “It’s a place that has supported roots reggae for the longest,” says Grammy-winning reggae DJ, producer and musician “Native” Wayne Jobson, who divides his time between Jamaica and California. “The kids want to hear the roots stuff, and the closer it is to Bob Marley, the [more] the kids want it! Especially amongst the surfers . . . the beach community kids have always been really into it. It’s a magic place for reggae!”

We asked Wayne for a round-up of SoCal’s best bass-heavy bastions.

DUB CLUB at THE ECHO (Los Angeles)

“One of the best reggae clubs in America—on Wednesday nights at The Echo in Echo Park,” says Wayne. “The DJs who’re in there . . . only great roots and dub [is what] they play. They have a great sound system, great lights and I’ve seen some amazing shows there: The Melodians before Brent Dowe died—one of the classic shows of all time . . . and The Mighty Diamonds. So The Echo is definitely the primo reggae club in Southern California.”

Dub Club has hosted everyone from The Abyssinians to Eek-A-Mouse to The Meditations.

Dub Club every Wednesday at The Echoplex, 1154 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles, (213) 413-8200; www.myspace.com/dubclubla.

HOUSE OF BLUES SUNSET STRIP (West Hollywood)

“I’ve seen some amazing shows there,” says Wayne of the 1,000-capacity Sunset Strip fixture. “UB40, Gregory Isaacs . . . Actually one of the shows I went to there was Stephen Marley [in 2007], and Stevie Wonder and Ben Harper and Mos Def all came and sat in on stage with him, so [it was] a really magic night.”

Sadly, there’s a question mark following HOB Sunset’s future after the West Hollywood City Council recently approved a plan to build a hotel on the site. “But I think there’s going to be a protest to keep it open because it’s a great location,” says Wayne. “I hope they don’t close it.”

House of Blues Sunset Strip, 8430 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood, (323) 848-5100; www.hob.com.

ROXY THEATRE (West Hollywood)

A legend on L.A.’s Sunset Strip, The Roxy is perhaps more usually associated with rock. “Of course there’s the album Bob Marley Live at the Roxy,” Wayne points out. “So throughout the years the Roxy has always been a prime place for reggae. It’s a great location . . . the sound system, the lights and then the stage is really cool—it’s just the right size.”

Live at the Roxy was recorded during Marley’s 1973 Rastaman Vibration tour, but not released until 2003 (though bootlegged versions of the original radio broadcast had bounced around for years).

The Roxy has also hosted everyone from The Aggrolites to The Wailers to Israel Vibration.

The Roxy Theatre, 9009 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood, (310) 278-9457; www.theroxyonsunset.com.

KEY CLUB (West Hollywood)

The Key Club, also on Sunset Strip, flirted with closure late last year but came back swingin‘. Formerly known as Gazzarri’s, it’s famed for helping launch the careers of The Doors and Van Halen, but this swanky spot also does a darn good reggae gig (and dinner!)

“I’ve seen great shows there, like Jimmy Cliff, Third World and Midnite,” says Wayne. “It has an amazing stage. The sound in there isn’t as good as The Roxy, but . . . you can get more people in there because there’s an upstairs as well. So the Key Club is really good.”

The Key Club, 9039 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood, (310) 274-5800; www.keyclub.com.

JAMAICAN GOLD (Los Angeles)

Jamaican Gold also handles a number of reggae nights at various L.A. clubs such as at La Vida Hollywood (1448 N. Gower St.), Ecco Ultra Lounge (1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd.), Cabana Club (1439 Ivar Ave.) and Live Reggae Fridays at Zabumba (10717 Venice Blvd.).

Go to www.jamaicangold.com for details.

COHIBA (Long Beach)

“Caribbean Rhythm” every Sunday night draws in the crowds with a mix of reggae, dancehall, soca and other forms of island-groomed music.

Cohiba Nightclub & Lounge, 110 E. Broadway, Long Beach, (562) 787-9199; www.cohibalongbeach.com.

SOUND WAVE (Mission Beach)

Sound Wave, which opened on the site of the old Canes Bar and Grill in Mission Beach in March, is already making a name for itself on the SoCal reggae circles. “I just saw Beres Hammond there last week, with Inner Circle,” Wayne enthuses. “Amazing sound and lights and a really cool location right by the sea . . . you can just walk away into the water!”

It’s significant that the 700-capacity Sound Wave’s opening night act was Jamaican reggae stars Wailing Souls—and their restaurant even serves a “Reggae Shrimp” appetizer!

Sound Wave Music Hall, 3105 Ocean Front Walk, San Diego, (858) 3200-2111; www.wavehousesandiego.com.

Native Wayne hosts a two-hour, nationally-syndicated rock/reggae radio show called “Alter-Native.” Go to www.myspace.com/nativewayne.