A cross between American rock and ska/rock steady, roots reggae is strong vocals and explicitly and devoutly Rastafarian lyrics - a spiritual type of music with lyrics predominantly in praise of Jah (God). Recurrent lyrical themes include poverty and resistance to government oppression. It is perhaps the most easily accessible form of reggae and the most successful globally.

Roots reggae emerged during the early 1970s, immediately following the development of rocksteady. Bob Marley and the Wailers signed with producer Coxsone Dodd's legendary Studio One in the early 1960s and had several successful releases. After a break during the mid-1960s, the Wailers signed with producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry and cut a number of classics.

In 1971 the group founded another independent label, Tuff Gong, releasing a handful of singles before signing to Chris Blackwell's Island Records a year later. 1973's Catch a Fire, the Wailers' Island debut, was the first of their albums released outside of Jamaica and immediately earned worldwide acclaim. The follow-up, Burnin', launched the track I Shot the Sheriff, a Top Ten hit for Eric Clapton in 1974.

With the Wailers poised for stardom, however, both Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh quit the group to pursue solo careers. Marley then assembled a new lineup, known as Bob Marley & the Wailers, with the I-Threes on backing vocals, and the new lineup proceeded to tour the world prior to releasing their 1975 breakthrough album Natty Dread. Sellout shows at the London Lyceum yielded the superb Live! album later that year. 1977's Exodus was even bigger. Marley died of cancer in 1981.

The creative pinnacle of roots reggae may have been in the late 1970s, with singers such as Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs and Horace Andy teaming up with studio producers including Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King Tubby and Coxsone Dodd. The experimental pioneering of producers within often-restrictive technological parameters gave birth to dub music, which has been considered one of the earliest contributions to the developments of techno music.