Sly Dunbar obit

Sly Dunbar Dies: Drummer Of Celebrated Reggae Rhythm Duo Sly & Robbie Was 73

 

 He was not on the list.

S

ly Dunbar, whose drumming with bassist Robbie Shakespeare made for an all-but-unrivaled reggae rhythm section utilized by such greats as Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger, has died. He was 73.

His death was reported to Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner by his wife Thelma, who said she found Dunbar unresponsive this morning, with doctors later pronouncing him dead. Dunbar reportedly had been ill for some months, though a cause of death has not been revealed.

Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar on May 10, 1952, in Kingston, Jamaica, Dunbar began playing drums at a young age, joining his first band at 15 and, in 1972, becoming friends with bassist Shakespeare. Through early gigs with the band The Revolutionaries (also known as the Aggrovators) Sly & Robbie, as they became known, laid a foundation for the Jamaican reggae that would soon explode in worldwide popularity.

Dunbar and Shakespeare, who also were prolific producers, continued working together for decades, performing rhythm work for many bands and solo artists as well as releasing their own music. Perhaps most notably among their earlier work, Sly & Robbie recorded five albums through 1981 with one of reggae’s breakout stars, Peter Tosh.

Shakespeare died in 2021 at age 68.

The duo’s other noteworthy collaborations were on the Bob Dylan albums Infidels (1983) and Empire Burlesque (1985) and three Grace Jones albums from the early ’80s (Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing and Living My Life). They also collaborated with Jagger, Joe Cocker, Herbie Hancock, Serge Gainsbourg, Black Uhuru, Ian Dury, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Cliff, Marianne Faithfull, No Doubt, Simply Red, Sinéad O’Connor, Bitty McLean, Cherine Anderson, Khalifa, Roots Radics and many others. The duo produced notable remixes for Madonna, Britney Spears, New Order and Fugees.

A pivotal moment for Sly & Robbie came in 1978 when they toured with the Rolling Stones, developing a rhythm style that combined their Jamaican roots with the Stones’ hard-rock approach.

Sly & Robbie continued as a touring and recording partnership into the 2000s until Shakespeare’s death five years ago. They also established their Taxi label studio, producing works by Elephant Man and Buju Banton, as well as various new Jamaican artists.

A 13-time Grammy Award nominee, Dunbar won twice, first in 1985 for producing the Black Uhuru album Anthem and then in 1999 in the Best Reggae Album category for the Sly & Robbie record Friends.

Complete information on survivors was not immediately available