Reggae great Sly Dunbar has died, aged 73

Pioneering reggae drummer Sly Dunbar – who along with bassist Robbie Shakespeare underpinned countless Jamaican hits, as well as albums by Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Serge Gainsbourg and many more – has died, aged 73. He was found unresponsive by his wife Thelma on Monday morning (January 26), having been unwell for some time.

Click here to subscribe to Uncut

Pioneering reggae drummer Sly Dunbar – who along with bassist Robbie Shakespeare underpinned countless Jamaican hits, as well as albums by Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Serge Gainsbourg and many more – has died, aged 73. He was found unresponsive by his wife Thelma on Monday morning (January 26), having been unwell for some time.

Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston in 1952, Sly’s first appearance on record was on Dave And Ansell Collins’ 1970 single “Double Barrel”, a No 1 hit in the UK. Dunbar was a member of various foundational Jamaican studio outfits – The Aggrovators, The Revolutionaries and The Upsetters – and worked with most of reggae’s movers and shakers, from The Mighty Diamonds to Peter Tosh, Black Uhuru to Dennis Brown.

In 1980, Dunbar and Shakespeare became the core of the Compass Point All-Stars, recording albums in Nassau with Grace Jones, Joe Cocker, Ian Dury and many others. They also played on Bob Dylan’s Infidels and Empire Burlesque, and Mick Jagger’s solo album She’s The Boss.

As Sly & Robbie, the pair issued a series of their own albums that fused reggae with electro, hip-hop and world music sounds. They continued to be courted by musicians and pop stars across the spectrum well into the 21st century. Prior to his death in 2021, Shakespeare estimated that the duo had contributed to over 200,000 recordings.

See also  Is The Fresh Prince Theme the Biggest Hip-Hop Song in History?

Those paying tribute to Dunbar included Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood and UB40’s Ali Campbell.

The post Reggae great Sly Dunbar has died, aged 73 appeared first on UNCUT.

Related Posts:

Scroll to Top