Fusing the lilting rhythms of the Caribbean
with the outlaw spirit of the wild west
Thirty years of music · Available now on all platforms
About the Act
Founded in Toronto in 1993, the Reggae Cowboys built a sound that defied easy categorization — fusing the infectious pulse of Jamaican reggae with the rugged imagery and storytelling tradition of the American west. Their name came from a fascination with the little-known role of African-Americans in western history.
Four studio albums released in North America between 1995 and 2005, plus a European compilation on Dixiefrog Records, the band toured nationally for seven years, headlined the Kennedy Center, performed at the Bob Marley Festival in Miami alongside Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Ziggy Marley, and earned the title of one of the best indie bands in North America. Thirty years on, the catalog endures.
Cultural Legacy
In 1993, the Reggae Cowboys formed in Toronto with a specific mission: to explore and celebrate the little-known but well-documented history of African-Americans in the American West. One in four cowboys in the frontier West were Black. The Reggae Cowboys built their entire identity — their name, their songs, their imagery — around that buried history.
Three decades later, that same cultural territory became the defining aesthetic moment of mainstream popular music. Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter. Lil Nas X's record-shattering Old Town Road. The "yeehaw agenda." A Rolling Stone feature asking where the Black cowboy moment came from.
The Reggae Cowboys were asking — and answering — that question in 1995.
"The band was founded in Toronto in 1993. Their name came from their fascination with the little-known role of African-Americans in western history."
— Original Press Kit, 2004
Discography
Press
"The best kept secret in Reggae music right now... This group is a breath of fresh air. Their mastery of instruments gives a crossover blend of Hillbilly Western Country music dubbed with Roots Reggae... This is a band that I would love to see perform at Reggae Sumfest as these Cowboys bring the fun back to Reggae."
Jamaica Select, Gargamel U.K.
"The stagnant reggae scene needs a ruff 'n tuff live act like the Reggae Cowboys to revitalize things... look for the band to revive a storied subgenre, sparking heritage-minded resurrections of the wild west reggae of the late '60s and early '70s."
Billboard
"Beautifully crafted blend of riddims makes for a memorable shootout at the conscious dancehall corral... Reggae Cowboys have made a proud, hip, authoritative record loaded with plenty of crossover firepower."
Timothy White, Editor-in-Chief, Billboard
"Seamlessly combining Ennio Morricone's spaghetti-western soundtrack music with Marley and the Wailers' one-drop rhythms, these roots-rock wranglers boast gun-smokin' lyrical appeal and home-on-the-range humor, branding reggae with galloping Western grit."
Rhythm Magazine
"Possibly not since (or before) Bob Marley's I Shot the Sheriff has reggae music so openly flirted with country & western themes."
The Word, Toronto
"They incorporate everything from rocksteady to country and western (or more aptly spaghetti western), alongside tinges of blues and a healthy dose of rock... Their own compositions are just as strong, with the syncopated beat and sinuous-as-a-snake bass counterpointing the western slide guitars, turning genres and assumptions on their heads."
Goldmine
"Full of commercial yet authentic classic reggae a la Steel Pulse. Then there's the stirring Mark Knopfler–Eric Clapton–Carlos Santana guitar."
Orange County Register
"One of the most unusual groups to come forward in recent memory. Playing urban, conscious reggae while decked out in Wild West garb, they combine the pulse of reggae with the soulful influences of Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, along with an unusually philosophical approach."
CMJ (College Music Journal)
"Combining western music and reggae may sound like an inadvisable gimmick, but the Reggae Cowboys somehow pull it off in a way that appeals to fans of both genres. Fresh, upbeat reggae with a country twang — never straying far from reggae's roots."
The Washington Post