BAM (Bay Area Music magazine) was a free large size tabloid publication which ran regularly from 1976-1999. At first it concentrated on Northern California until the mid-1980s when it also began a Southern California edition. It reached its pinnacle in circulation around then with over 130,000 copies being distributed weekly. In this well-written comprehensive major article by Laurel Taylor the breadth & depth of the San Francisco area reggae scene is covered in all its righteous variety from radio & record labels to live performances. Whether sparked by Santa Cruz based The Rastafarians, which included Vision Walker of Bob Marley & The Wailers, and The Fabulous Titans led by Ron Rhoades, an off-shoot of The Shakers -the first US reggae band to be signed to a major label, or the Soul Syndicate & Earl Zero setting up a local presence, Jamaican-based roots music was definitely on the rise. Laurel points out in her closing paragraph that ‘soon come’ has a lot of meanings including “patience” and “a certain amount of inevitability.” Yes I. Since 2011 BAM’s been revived as a web-based entity.
