The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards for quality works in the reggae genre. Originally called the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording, the honor was presented to artists for eligible songs or albums. The Jamaican group Black Uhuru received the first award in 1985. Beginning with the 1992 ceremony, the name of the award was changed to Best Reggae Album. Starting in 2002, awards were often presented to the engineers, mixers, and/or producers in addition to the performing artists. According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, eligible works are vocal or instrumental reggae albums "containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded music", including roots reggae, dancehall and ska music.
At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020, Koffee became the youngest person. Ziggy Marley holds the record for the most wins in this category, with seven wins as of 2017. Sharon Marley and Cedella Marley of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers hold the record for most wins and nominations by a female artist, with three wins out of eight nominations. The current recipient of the award is Keznamdi, who won at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards with his album Blxxd & Fyah.
Recipients
right|thumb|upright|alt=A group of men playing music.|Inaugural recipients [[Black Uhuru]]
right|thumb|upright|alt=A man in red clothing singing into a microphone.|[[28th Grammy Awards|1986 award recipient Jimmy Cliff in 1997]]
right|upright|thumb|alt=A man behind a microphone on a stand with his eyes closed, wearing a green jacket and holding a guitar.|Five-time award winner [[Stephen Marley (musician)|Stephen Marley (three times as a member of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers) in 2007]]
right|upright|thumb|alt=A man wearing a purple jacket and blue jeans, holding a multi-colored guitar and standing behind a microphone on a stand.|Six-time award winner [[Ziggy Marley (three times as the leader of his eponymous band), performing at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2007]]
right|thumb|upright|alt=A man with dreadlocks holding his hand in the air|Thirteen-time nominee and two-time winner [[Burning Spear.]]
right|upright|thumb|alt=A man with his mouth open, holding a microphone; he is wearing sunglasses, a hat, and multiple layers of multi-colored clothing, including a cape.|Three-time award winner [[Bunny Wailer, performing in 2009]]
right|thumb|upright|alt=A man holding a microphone with one hard and extending his index finger with the other; he is wearing a white undershirt, red- and white-striped dress shirt and jewelry accessories. In the background is a man and vegetation.|[[38th Grammy Awards|1996 award winner Shaggy, performing in 2006]]
right|upright|thumb|alt=Black and white image of a man with dreadlocks wearing eyeglasses.|[[43rd Grammy Awards|2001 award winner Beenie Man in 2008]]
right|upright|thumb|alt=A man holding a microphone on a stage and wearing a blue shirt.|Three-time award winner [[Damian Marley, performing in 2015.]]
thumb|right|upright|alt=A man singing into a microphone; he is wearing a colorful hat with many accessories on his hat and around his wrists, fingers and neck.|[[45th Grammy Awards|2003 award recipient Lee "Scratch" Perry, performing in 2008]]
right|upright|thumb|alt=A man saluting with his right hand and wearing a black graphic T-shirt and black jeans. In the background is a palm tree, a few bottles of rum, and a screen with branding across it.|[[46th Grammy Awards|2004 award winner, Sean Paul]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album winners and nominees
! scope="col" width="7%" | Year
! scope="col" width="25%" | Performing artist(s)
! scope="col" width="25%" | Work
! scope="col" width="35%" class=unsortable|Nominees
! scope="col" width="5%" class=unsortable|Ref.
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1985
| Black Uhuru
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1986
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1987
| Steel Pulse
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1988
|
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1989
| Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1990
| Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1991
| Bunny Wailer
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1992
| Shabba Ranks
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1993
| Shabba Ranks
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1994
| Inner Circle
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1995
| Bunny Wailer
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1996
| Shaggy
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1997
| Bunny Wailer
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1998
| Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|1999
| Sly and Robbie
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|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2000
| Burning Spear
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2001
| Beenie Man
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2002
|
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2003
|
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2004
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2005
| Toots and the Maytals
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2006
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
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! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2007
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2008
|
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2009
| Burning Spear
|
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2010
|
|
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| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2011
|
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|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2012
| Stephen Marley
| Revelation Pt. 1 – The Root of Life
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2013
| Jimmy Cliff
| Rebirth
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2014
| Ziggy Marley
| In Concert
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2015
| Ziggy Marley
| Fly Rasta
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2016
| Morgan Heritage
| Strictly Roots
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2017
| Ziggy Marley
| Ziggy Marley
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2018
| Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley
| Stony Hill
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2019
| Sting & Shaggy
| 44/876
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2020
| Koffee
| Rapture
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align:center;"|2021
| Toots and the Maytals
| Got to Be Tough
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
!2022
|SOJA
|Beauty in the Silence
|
|
|-
!2023
|Kabaka Pyramid
|The Kalling
|
|
|-
!2024
|Julian Marley & Antaeus
|Colors of Royal
|
|
|-
!2025
|Various artists
|Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe)
|
|
|-
!2026
|Keznamdi
|Blxxd & Fyah
|
|
|}
<sup>
</sup> Each year is linked to the article about the Grammy Awards held that year.
2010 controversy
thumb|right|upright|alt=A man on a stage in white clothing, holding a microphone and bending over. In the background are women standing behind microphones.|2010 nominee and subject of controversy [[Buju Banton, performing in 2007]]
Buju Banton's (real name Mark Anthony Myrie) nomination for the 2010 award sparked controversy and protest due to homophobic lyrics within his music. Banton's most controversial song, released in 1988, is "Boom, Bye Bye", which "promote[s] the murder of gay men by shooting or burning". Following the artist's nomination, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center placed an advertisement in the Daily Variety encouraging Grammy officials to denounce music that "promotes or celebrates violence against any group of people". The 2010 award was presented to Stephen Marley. Banton was nominated in 2011 for the album Before the Dawn.
See also
- List of reggae musicians
- List of roots reggae artists
- List of ska musicians
- Music of Jamaica
- Reggae genres
References
General
- Note: User must select the "Reggae" category as the genre under the search feature.
Specific