1. A style of Jamaican popular music that emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s, characterized by a strong offbeat rhythm and featuring elements of ska, calypso, and rhythm and blues.
Usage: historical; music genre; also called 'blue beat'

Examples

• Bluebeat music was hugely popular in Jamaica during the early 1960s.
• The infectious rhythm of bluebeat influenced the development of reggae.
• Many British record labels released bluebeat records in the 1960s.
• Bluebeat combined Caribbean and American musical traditions.
• The Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker were famous bluebeat artists.