Sly & Robbie’s Sly Dunbar Has Died

Influential reggae drummer and producer Sly Dunbar, of the renowned duo Sly & Robbie, has died at age 73. Dunbar’s death was reported by his wife to The Jamaica Gleaner.

Born Lowell Fillmore “Sly” Dunbar on May 10, 1952, he was one half of the iconic duo Sly & Robbie with late bassist Robbie Shakespeare. Dunbar began drumming at age 13, and started performing at 15. Dunbar’s drumming innovations transformed reggae and helped define the genre’s sound.

Dunbar met Shakespeare in 1972, and the Sly & Robbie partnership would prove legendary. Their credits include working alongside the likes of Bob Marley and The Wailers, Mighty Diamonds, Peter Tosh, The Revolutionaries, Jimmy Cliff, Grace Jones, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Serge Gainsbourg, Herbie Hancock, Joe Cocker and many more.

According to Sly & Robbie’s publisher, Primary Wave:

“The pair began working together as a team in 1975 and they quickly became Jamaica’s leading, and most distinctive, rhythm section. They have played on numerous releases, including recordings by U-Roy, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Culture and Black Uhuru, while Dunbar also made several solo albums, all of which featured Shakespeare. They have constantly sought to push back the boundaries surrounding the music with their consistently inventive work.

“Dunbar, nicknamed ‘Sly’ in honour of his fondness for Sly And The Family Stone, was an established figure in Skin Flesh And Bones when he met Shakespeare. Dunbar drummed his first session for Lee Perry as one of the Upsetters; the resulting ‘Night Doctor’ was a big hit both in Jamaica and the U.K. He next moved to Skin Flesh And Bones, whose variations on the reggae-meets-disco/soul sound brought them a great deal of session work and a residency at Kingston’s Tit For Tat club. Sly was still searching for more, however, and he moved on to another session group in the mid-‘70s, the Revolutionaries. This move changed the course of reggae music through the group’s work at Joseph ‘Joe Joe’ Hookim’s Channel One Studio and their pioneering rockers sound. It was with the Revolutionaries that he teamed up with bass player Shakespeare, who had undergone a similar apprenticeship with session bands, notably Bunny Lee’s Aggrovators. The two formed a friendship that turned into a musical partnership that was to dominate reggae music throughout the remainder of the ‘70s and into the ‘80s.

“Known simply as Sly And Robbie (and occasionally Drumbar And Basspeare), they not only formed their own label, Taxi, which produced many hit records for scores of well-known artists but also found time to do session work for just about every important name in reggae. They toured extensively as the powerhouse rhythm section for Black Uhuru and, as their fame spread outside of reggae circles, they worked with Grace Jones, Bob Dylan, Ian Dury and Joan Armatrading, among a host of other rock stars. In the early 80s, they were among the first to use the burgeoning ‘new technology’ to musical effect; they demonstrated that it could be used to its full advantage without compromising their musicianship in any way. In a genre controlled by producers and ‘this week’s star’, reggae musicians have rarely been accorded their proper respect, but the accolades heaped on Sly And Robbie have helped to redress the balance.

“Sly And Robbie’s mastery of the digital genre, coupled with their abiding love of and respect for the music’s history, placed them at the forefront of Kingston’s producers of the early ‘90s.”

“Sly was an architect of sound,” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated. “Alongside Robbie Shakespeare, he established a foundation that defined the era of Reggae and Dancehall. From the Taxi label to his work with international superstars like Grace Jones and The Rolling Stones, Sly’s influence was global. He was a pioneer. He integrated electronic elements into traditional reggae beats, keeping our music modern and relevant for decades.”

Dunbar won multiple Grammy Awards and received Jamaica’s Order of Distinction. Shakespeare died in 2021 at age 68.

“Sly & Robbie were the ‘go to,’” Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange stated. “They produced and/or played on tracks for several international acts including No Doubt, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Fugees and Simply Red. Sly was a truly gifted and remarkable musician and producer whose passing today is a great loss for the music.”