The term 'PRECURSOR TO ROCKSTEADY' can be summarized as SKA, a three letter word. SKA is a musical genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady, another Jamaican music genre. SKA combines elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. It is characterized by a walking bass line, guitar and piano offbeats, and a drum pattern with accents on the third beat of each bar.