Rockfort (Kingston, Jamaica)

For the ruins east of Kingston, see Rockfort (Jamaica).
Rockfort
Community
Rockfort is located in Jamaica
Rockfort
Rockfort
Coordinates: 17°58′30.61″N 76°45′29.7″W / 17.9751694°N 76.758250°W / 17.9751694; -76.758250
CountryJamaica
CityKingston
ConstituencyEast Kingston

Rockfort is a community in Kingston, Jamaica that is bounded by Long Mountain range to the north, the sea and Springfield Gardens to the south, Mountain View and Rollington Town to the west, and Harbour View to the east. [1]

History

Rockfort was a centre for Jamaican popular music,[2] where it became associated with Rastafari, thanks to the activities of Count Ossie. Others who have performed and lived in the area were Horace Andy, Don Drummond,[3] Johnny Moore, and Tommy McCook.[4] When Captain Sinbad moved to the UK, he named his new enterprise "Rockfort Records".[3]

An enclave for the lower-middle class in the 1950s and 1960s, gang violence began to erupt in the 1980s, and became significantly worse by 2017.[5] In August 2017, a rash of gang violence, crimes, and murder in the area drove some residents to move out of their homes.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Rockfort Summary Profile". Social Development Commission, Jamaica Government. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  2. ^ Klive Walker (2005). Dubwise: Reasoning from the Reggae Underground. Insomniac Press. pp. 14–. ISBN 978-1-897414-60-6.
  3. ^ a b David Vlado Moskowitz (2006). Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 52–. ISBN 978-0-313-33158-9.
  4. ^ Kenneth Bilby (10 May 2016). Words of Our Mouth, Meditations of Our Heart: Pioneering Musicians of Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, and Dancehall. Wesleyan University Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-8195-7604-0.
  5. ^ Mark, Wignall (13 August 2017). "Storm and stress in Rockfort". Jamaica Gleaner. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2017 – via PressReader.
  6. ^ Skyers, Javene (17 August 2017). "Rockfort suffering from months of murders, theft and gunfights". Jamaica Observer. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
Stub icon

This Jamaican location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.