Rocksteady Rhythms is a specialist music show on Dundalk FM 97.7, presented by Karl Collins and dedicated to the rich world of ska, rocksteady, reggae, soul, and the music that connects them. Airing on Tuesday evenings, the show is a deep and genuinely passionate celebration of some of the most influential music ever made, rooted in the sounds of Jamaica and the wider Jamaican diaspora that carried those rhythms around the world.
Rocksteady was a short-lived but extraordinary moment in music history. Emerging in Jamaica in the summer of 1966 as ska began to slow down in the heat, it became something deeply soulful and emotionally resonant, built around melodic bass lines, rich vocal harmonies, and a groove that influenced everything that came after it. From artists like Alton Ellis, the Heptones, the Paragons, and Toots and the Maytals to the early work of the Wailers, rocksteady laid the foundations for reggae and left a mark on popular music that is still felt today. Rocksteady Rhythms on Dundalk FM honours all of it.
Karl Collins brings genuine expertise and deep personal affection to the show. His knowledge of the music spans from the original Jamaican sound system culture of the late 1950s through ska, rocksteady, reggae, and soul, and his enthusiasm for sharing it is infectious. Listeners have come to the show from all over, drawn in by Karl’s warmth and the quality of the music he selects and presents. The show has also featured interviews with artists, adding another dimension to what is already one of the most distinctive programmes in the Dundalk FM schedule.
The show’s title is a nod to that specific and beloved moment in Jamaican musical history, but the music covered ranges more widely, taking in the soul that influenced rocksteady, the reggae that followed it, and the artists and movements that kept these sounds alive across the decades. It is music with deep roots and a long reach, and Rocksteady Rhythms gives it the platform and the respect it deserves.
As part of the
Dundalk FM schedule, the show reflects the station’s commitment to specialist music programming that goes well beyond the mainstream, offering listeners something they would simply not find anywhere else on local radio. For fans of the genre, it is essential listening. For those new to this music, it is the perfect introduction.
Rocksteady Rhythms airs on Tuesday evenings from 7.00pm to 9.00 pm on
Dundalk FM 97.7. Join the community of listeners in the
Rocksteady Rhythms Facebook Group (Facebook).
