  the music of the bahamas is associated primarily with junkanoo, a celebration which occurs on boxing day and again on new year's day. parades and other celebrations mark the ceremony. groups like the baha men, ronnie butler and kirkland bodie have gained massive popularity in japan, the united states and other places. == calypso == calypso is a style of afro-caribbean music which originated in trinidad and tobago. this form of music has spread through many parts of the caribbean, including the the bahamas. == soca == soca is a form of dance music which originated from many calypso music. it originally combined the melodic lilting sound of calypso with insistent percussion (which is often electronic in recent music) and local chutney music. soca music has evolved in the last 20 years primarily by musicians from various anglophone caribbean countries including trinidad, guyana, saint vincent and the grenadines, barbados, grenada, saint lucia, antigua and barbuda, united states virgin islands, the bahamas, dominica, saint kitts and nevis, jamaica and belize. == junkanoo ==  the word junkanoo is said to be derived from a ghanaian leader, john connu, or from the qujo supreme deity (canno) and ancestral spirits (jannanin). the junkanoo was formerly practiced in north carolina and remnants still exist in belize. it is most well known, though, from nassau and freeport. since the 1950s the influence of american culture has increased, mainly through tv and radio broadcasts from florida stations, and other caribbean styles have made inroads: calypso, reggae and soca, from jamaica, cuba, trinidad, and other islands. tourism has also had an impact, bringing in japanese, european and north americans with their attendant forms of cultural expression. in this milieu more traditional bahamas performers such as joseph spence, have still enjoyed successful careers playing junkanoo, christian hymns and the ant'ems of the local sponge fisherman, which include "sloop john b", later made famous by the beach boys. junkanoo's origins are obscure and much-debated. researchers like e. clement bethel have studied the issue extensively, and likely conclusions include that african slaves were allowed celebrations only around christmas-time, and chose to celebrate john connu, a headman from 18th century africa. another theory is that the term derives from scrap metal or other objects (junk) used to create the distinctive goombay drum. similar celebrations once existed cross the caribbean and
Bahamian_music