According to all sources utilized in uncovering information about this style of music, junkanoo first emerged in the Bahamas during the seventeenth century. The festival was held on two days a year, December 26th and New Year's Day. These were two of the three days of the year during which the slaves on the islands were free from work before their emancipation. Originally a celebration of Christmas and of the time slaves had with their families on their days off, junkanoo has come to represent a form of music appropriate for all kinds of celebration. It is not restricted to describe only the music played at the annual Junkanoo festival and can be found being played year round at a varied form of events.

  Over time, the popularity of junkanoo has varied greatly. Once the Bahamian slaves were emancipated the music nearly disappeared. Junkanoo the Official Website describes how a few islanders kept it and the festival going until the 1920's when the Bahamas Development Board held the festival on Bay Street for the first time and commercialized the celebration. As the festival once again grew, the Bahamas Development Board began to offer prizes, which in turn caused the festival to grow even more. In 1938, December 26th was named “Boxing Day” in recognition of the holiday this day had become. It was named for the boxing that historically also takes place on December 26th, but is noted for the festival on which is held. Between 1942 and 1947 the festival was completely absent as the Burma Road Riots caused upheaval in the Bahamas but did not extinguish this culturally rich form of expression. “In the 1950's the parade (again) became more organized, as categories were introduced and groups were formed to represent different districts.” (Junkanoo the Official Website) Through such measures, the junkanoo of today has grown to become a staple of the Bahamian community and an extremely famous competitive celebration with large prizes as well as a huge tourist draw.

The music is an evolved form of the traditional Bahamian music of goombay. Junkanoo differs from goombay in that it utilizes acoustic instruments. Played by musicians who number between ten and five hundred, the instruments used are often homemade. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music describes how “traditional junkanoo instruments are cowbells, police whistles, foghorns, bicycle horns, and conchs” (Olsen, 806). Since the 1970's, wind instruments have been added to the traditional composition of a junkanoo band. Lyrics were included in the first forms of junkanoo, however, as the number of band members and instruments present in junkanoo increased it is believed that the singing was phased out due to difficulty in hearing it. (Olsen, 807)

Broughton and Ellingham (2000:318), describe the music as deeply rhythmic with several different drum rhythms present in most performances. They explain how each of the other instruments has several of its own rhythms as well, giving depth and many layers to the music. Typically there are at least two different cowbell rhythms present in junkanoo, all of the instruments' rhythms do not coincide, and each musicians' entrance to the music is staggered. Bass instruments are traditionally the last of the instruments to begin playing.

Today, as is traditional, junkanoo is predominantly performed by men and is associated with the lower classes of Bahamians. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music makes the point that, “Many members of the upper classes considered Bahamian music to be unworthy of study or practice. These persons usually opted to learn and play European instruments and European classical music.” (Olsen, 802) The rhythms of junkanoo as well as the percussion of the music tie it firmly to an African heritage, which has caused some islanders to view it as too unorganized and unsophisticated.

Olsen and Sheeny (1998: 807), explain how despite the conflicting views that have been traditionally held among the Bahamian people, junkanoo has endured and prospered and in fact has influenced most of the recorded artists that have come from the islands. Junkafunk, for example they address, is a form of music that mixes junkanoo with an electronic sound that relies heavily on the rhythmic nature of the traditional music. Additionally, in 1973, when a sense of nationalism rose from their gaining independence, many musicians began to blend the traditional junkanoo with lyrics that described the Bahamian people and culture. Olsen and Sheeny (1998:808), describe examples of how today most recorded versions of music from the Bahamas represent this combination of traditional music and variations that let them illustrate their national pride.