Nanny Goat
Larry & Alvin’s 1968 Studio One cut sits right on the fault line between rocksteady and reggae. It is one of the strongest contenders for “first reggae record” — and one reason that title should stay contested.
GO DEEPER
“Nanny Goat” was recorded by Larry Marshall and Alvin Leslie for Clement “Coxsone” Dodd in 1968 as Jamaican musicians were rapidly changing the rocksteady beat. Its guitar, organ shuffle and altered rhythmic feel made it sound different enough that Dodd and later writers championed it as the first true reggae recording. But reggae did not arrive by certificate. “Baby Why,” “No More Heartaches,” “Bangarang” and other recordings from late 1967–68 carry their own claims, and musicians who were there remembered the transition differently. “Nanny Goat” matters not because it wins the argument, but because you can hear the argument happening inside the record.
Where the history is argued
- Do not label “Nanny Goat” the uncontested first reggae record. “Baby Why,” “No More Heartaches,” “Bangarang” and other late-1967/1968 recordings have serious competing claims.
How they stand with the others
Came togetherThe recording belongs to the late-1967/1968 burst of experimentation through which reggae emerged from rocksteady.
Grew intoIts value is clearer as evidence of the transition than as proof that one artist invented an entire genre.
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Last checked 1 September 2026