Top 25 most used riddims of the 1960s

Studio One's Real Rock Riddim is one of the most used and most recognisable riddims ever. The original tune, by the Sound Dimension band, was recorded in 1967 and released in 1968. Coxsone Dodd has said that he considered this riddim his crowning achievement.

Over the years, a lot of different versions of the riddim were created. The highlighted versions below are Augustus Pablo's 1979 "Rockers Rock" version and a 1984 version by Lloyd Barnes.

The Answer Riddim was initially called the Never Let Go Riddim after its original tune by Slim Smith & The Uniques. Ten years later Lone Ranger's "The Answer" was released, which gave the riddim the name it is most commonly known by today.

Numerous versions of the riddim were made after the Studio One original, for example the 1993 version by Donovan Germain.

The Heavenless Riddim, with its distinctive lead trombone played by Vin Gordon and backed by a simple yet powerful bassline from the Sound Dimension band, was first released in 1968. It is often miscredited to Don Drummond & The Skatalites. The fact that Vin Gordon was sometimes called Don Drummond Junior does not help in this confusion.

The riddim became very popular when Johnny Osbourne's "Murderer" was released on it in 1981. After that, a lot of producers made their own versions of the riddim. One of the most successful ones was King Jammy's 1986 version.

The name of the Shank I Sheck Riddim is derived from the Chinese Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-Shek. Its original tune was recorded in 1964 with a trumpet lead by Baba Brooks, accompanied by a saxophone riff by Val Bennett. In later versions of the riddim, the iconic saxophone riff was played with a bass to create the bassline. 

At least 10 more versions of the riddim were released in the following years. For example the 1977 version by another trumpeter, Bobby Ellis. Highlighted below is also a 1979 version produced by Tad Dawkins.

The origin of the African Beat Riddim is an old South African Zulu song. It was recorded for the first time in 1947 by August Msarurgwa. In 1954 it was covered by Louis Armstrong, becoming a major hit. Bert Kaempfert recorded the song in 1962, calling it "Afrikaan Beat". His version of the song is the one that inspired Lester Sterling's original tune on the riddim.

The riddim is also known as the Under Me Sensi Riddim, after the 1984 hit by Barrington Levy over Jah Screw's version of the riddim. Another well known version is the one by Bulby York & Lynford Marshall, dated 1997.

This riddim was initially called the Love Me Girl Riddim, after its original tune by Leroy Sibbles and Anthony 'Rocky' Ellis. In 1976 it became more popular known as the General Riddim, after a tune by Dillinger over a Jo Jo Hookim version of the riddim.

Another example of a version of the riddim is a 1984 version by Jo Jo Hookim's younger brother, Kenneth Hookim.

The Mad Mad Riddim is another great Studio One riddim, originally performed by Alton Ellis.

It became known as the Diseases Riddim in 1981 after the tune by Michigan & Smiley over a version of the riddim by Henry Lawes. In 1986 it became known as the Golden Hen Riddim after the hit by Tenor Saw over a Keith Gorgon version.

The Tonight Riddim was created by Derrick Harriott in 1967. The first tune was "Tonight" by the duo Keith & Tex.

There have been a lot of versions of the riddim ever since. One of the more famous ones is the 1988 version by Peter Chemist & Sugar Minott, called the Lots Of Sign Riddim after the hit by Tenor Saw. The 1998 version by Gordon Lee is a good example as well.

The Darker Shade Of Black Riddim is a Studio One creation, inspired by the 1965 hit "Norwegian Wood" by The Beatles.

The riddim has been used a lot since it was created in 1967. Great examples are Henry Lawes's 1984 version and Mafia & Fluxy's 1991 version, which are highlighted below.

The original version of the Love Is Not A Gamble Riddim was created by Duke Reid, with the first tune being performed by The Techniques with Tommy McCook & The Supersonics.

The riddim has been used a lot through the years. For example the 1980 version by Joe Gibbs and the 1990 version by Bunny Striker Lee.

In 1968, Coxsone Dodd created the Hot Milk Riddim. It was originally performed by Jackie Mittoo & The Soul Vendors. In the same year he also created the Sea Of Love Riddim, which is based on the Hot Milk Riddim. The original tune on the Sea Of Love Riddim would be performed by The Heptones. Both riddims would become very popular over time.

1984 saw the release of "Murderer" by Barrington Levy, one of the most recognisable reggae tunes ever. This tune, over a version of the Hot Milk Riddim by Hyman Wright & Percy Chin, would become such a hit, that a lot of people still refer to this riddim as the Murderer Riddim.

Yet another Studio One riddim, the Full Up Riddim was originally released in 1968. It is also known as the Pass The Kouchie Riddim after the 1981 hit by The Mighty Diamonds over an Augustus Pablo version of the riddim.

Another great version is the one created by Errol Lewis and Errol Marshall in 1984.

The Ba Ba Boom Riddim was created by Duke Reid. The first song on the riddim was "Ba Ba Boom" by The Jamaicans with Tommy McCook & The Supersonics. This song won the second edition of the Independence Festival Song Competition in 1967.

Examples of later versions of the riddim are a 1971 version by Don Mais called "Lonely Bull" and a 2001 version by Triston Palmer & Nigel Burrell.

The original tune on this riddim was "Train To Skaville", self-produced and performed in 1967 by The Ethiopians with The Supersonics as the backing band.

One year later, Coxsone Dodd released "Feel Like Jumping" by Marcia Griffiths on his version of the riddim. This would define the name of the riddim for a short while. Later that same year the name would change to "54-46", after the hit by Toots & The Maytals on a version of the riddim by Leslie Kong.

The riddim was eventually named the Boops Riddim after a 1985 hit by Super Cat on a version by Steely & Clevie.

The Cuss Cuss Riddim was originally created by producer Harry J. The first tune on the riddim was by Lloyd Robinson.

Examples of later versions of the riddim are the 1986 version by King Jammy and the 2006 version by Sly & Robbie.

The Vanity Riddim was originally known as the I'm Just A Guy Riddim, after the 1967 tune by Alton Ellis. A 1978 hit by Sugar Minott gave it the name it is still known by today.

Another good example of the riddim is the 1983 version by Bunny Striker Lee.

This riddim was originally called the One Step Beyond riddim, after its first tune performed by Jackie Mittoo and The Soul Vendors. It is more commonly known as the Bobby Babylon Riddim nowadays after Freddie McGregor's 1979 hit with the same name.

Another highlighted tune is "Guilty For Your Love" by Gregory Isaacs, performed over a 1992 version of the riddim, produced by E.J. Robinson.

The Lecturer Riddim was created in 1967 by Harry Mudie. The first tune released on it was "The Lecture" by The Fugitives & Jo Jo Bennett.

Jah Thomas, Sly & Robbie made a heavy digital version of the riddim in 1982, featuring Sugar Minott with his hit "Dancehall We Deh". An example of a more recent version of the riddim is the 2010 version by Mr. Vegas and Frenchie.

The Love Me Forever Riddim was created by Coxsone Dodd in 1968 for Carlton And The Shoes, whose "Love Me Forever" was an instant success. Some riddims need to mature and get new versions years later, but this riddim was versioned right after its release. 

Three years after the Love Me Forever Riddim, Coxsone Dodd created a version of the riddim called the West Of The Sun Riddim. The other version highlighted below is a 2005 version of the riddim created by Steely, Clevie, Dalton Browne and Earl Walker.

The Jamaica Festival Song Competition is an annual contest where aspiring artists, songwriters and producers showcase their talents. The first edition (then still known as the Independence Festival Song Competition) was held in 1966. The winners of that first edition were The Maytals with Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, with their song "Bam-Bam". With this song, the Bam Bam Riddim was born.

The riddim is also known as the Murder She Wrote Riddim, after the massive 1992 hit by Chaka Demus & Pliers, over a Sly & Robbie version of the riddim. Another great example is the version by King Jammy, created in 1992 as well.

The Death In The Arena Riddim is a Studio One creation from 1968, originally recorded by Rolando Alphonso & The Soul Vendors.

The riddim was used a lot, for example the 1987 version by King Jammy and the 1994 version by Bobby Digital.

The Mean Girl Riddim is a Studio One creation, with the first tune being performed by Larry Marshall.

Amongst others, Jo Jo Hookim made a version of the riddim called the I Need A Roof Riddim in 1976, and King Jammy made a version called the I Know The Score Riddim in 1987.

The Rougher Yet Riddim is a Studio One creation from 1967. The original tune was by Slim Smith. Augustus Clarke released his own version of the riddim in 1973. Because of the popularity of a tune by I-Roy, his version would become known as the First Cut Is The Deepest Riddim.

Another name the riddim goes by is the Love Bump Riddim, after a 1981 tune by Lone Ranger over a version of the riddim by Coxsone Dodd.

The history of the Get A Lick Riddim is quite interesting. Coxsone Dodd made a rocksteady album in 1967 that was primarily meant for the UK market. On this album there was a tune called "A Get A Lick" by an obscure vocalist called Bumps Oakley. The tune itself was never released as a single, and the album was never really popular and soon forgotten about.

Somehow the tune stayed in Lee Scratch Perry's head, because in 1974 he started playing around with it in his Black Ark studio. In a pivotal moment for Jamaican music, Lee Scratch Perry was the first one to use a drum machine. The result was a tune called "Chim Cherie". The tune was never officially released, but 10 years later it still reached Shinehead in New York.

In 1984, Shinehead took a reworked version of "Chim Cherie", now called the Billie Jean Riddim, and made some very iconic tunes over it. The most iconic one of them, "Billie Jean", was a near perfect imitation of Michael Jackson's 1983 song with the same name. The intro of the tune used a whistled version of the theme of the movie "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".

The Drum Song Riddim was produced in 1967 by Coxsone Dodd, the first release on it was "Drum Song" by Jackie Mittoo & Sound Dimension.

Other examples of this riddim are Badoo & Toyan's "Rocking Of The Five Thousand" and Dirtsman's "Hot This Year".