You know where we haven’t been in a while? Jamaica. It’s not just Sandals resorts, weed tourism, and bobsledding.

This small, island nation developed its own unique style of music in the 20th century and slowly took over the world. It wasn’t just a passing fad, either, like Calypso in the late 50’s and early 60’s — the various iterations of Jamaican music, from ska to reggae, from dub to dancehall, remain as popular and influential as ever.

Back in the 1960’s and 70’s, Island Records and Trojan Records, two companies based in England, were the biggest distributors and proselytizers, spreading the word of this new music far and wide, influencing countless kids to pick up guitars and learn how to play on the off beat. These companies had money and resources, and the artists appearing on those labels (including Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker, and Jimmy Cliff) gained exposure, sales, and #1 songs.

But what if you were a reggae artist not lucky enough to appear on one of those labels? Well, then things became slightly more difficult.

Say hello to The Congos!

The vocal duo known as The Congos formed in Jamaica in the mid-70’s, both members having sung with different groups over the preceding years. In 1976, they entered Black Ark Studios to record their debut album — Black Ark served as the spiritual home of eccentric genius and super-producer, Lee “Scratch” Perry, known for his love of very wet reverb and weird, spacy sounds. Oh, and his very long list of hit records.

Over the coming months, The Congos recorded an album’s worth of material with some of the finest session musicians in Jamaica. Had it been a year or two earlier, Island Records would have released it to the wider world like Perry’s other recently produced bestsellers. Unfortunately, it was now 1977, Perry and Island were embroiled in a dispute, and as a result, The Congos’ debut album, Heart Of The Congos, was released on Perry’s own small, local label. Only a few hundred copies were pressed.

Outside of Jamaica, nobody heard the album — people in Jamaica barely heard the album. But the legend grew! And eventually the music did find its way to an appreciative audience, in its homeland and abroad. Today, Heart Of The Congos — with its opening track about how you have to keep on keeping on in the face of adversity — is widely considered one of the greatest reggae albums ever made and the apex of Perry’s production.

So keep on rowing your boat. We’ll reach a higher ground …. with The Congos.