Sly Dunbar, the legendary Jamaican drummer who contributed significantly to the modern development of reggae and gave rhythm to countless recordings, has died. He was 73 years old.
Dunbar’s wife Thelma confirmed his death to Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner. “This morning around seven o’clock I tried to wake him up but he wasn’t responding. I called the doctor and that was the news,” she said.
An exact cause of death was not given, but Dunbar was said to have been ill for some time.
Farewell after a good last day
“Yesterday was such a good day for him,” Thelma said. “Friends came to visit, we all had a good time. He ate well…sometimes he didn’t have an appetite. I knew he was sick, but I didn’t know he was that sick.”
Dunbar was only 15 years old when he joined his first band and recorded his first song. This began an extremely productive and influential career that brought him worldwide recognition – especially through his collaboration with bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who died in 2021. It is estimated that Sly and Robbie played on more than 200,000 recordings over the decades, including original songs, remixes and countless tracks that sampled their work.
Sly & Robbie: The defining rhythm duo
As the rhythm section and producer duo Sly and Robbie, they worked on reggae classics by Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh. Their reputation led to them also working with artists such as Bob Dylan, Grace Jones and the Rolling Stones. Sly and Robbie also released numerous albums of their own and played a crucial role in taking reggae into the future with electronic instruments and more syncopated rhythms.
Lowell Fillmore Dunbar was born on May 10, 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica. In a 2021 interview, Dunbar shared that his sisters filled his childhood home with music from Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MGs and Sly and the Family Stone – the latter also earning him the nickname “Sly.” However, he was primarily inspired by Lloyd Knibb from the Skatalites. Before he had his own drum kit, he drummed on his school desk and on cans. At the age of 13, he convinced his mother to drop out of school to become a musician.
First successes and studio work
Dunbar’s first gig was with a band called the Yardbrooms. His first studio recording was with Lee “Scratch” Perry and his band The Upsetters when they recorded the song “Night Doctor”. In 1969, Dunbar appeared on Dave and Ansell Collins’ album Double Barrel, the title track of which reached number one in the British charts.
In 1973, Robbie saw Shakespeare Dunbar play in a nightclub and was immediately impressed. He recommended him for a studio session and the two hit it off straight away. “The first time we played together, it was magical,” Dunbar said in 2009. “We immediately found this groove. I listen to him, and he listens to me. We try to keep it simple.”
Revolutionaries, Taxi and the Rockers rhythm
Soon Dunbar and Shakespeare were playing with the Revolutionaries, the house band at Jamaica’s Channel One studio, while also touring and recording with Peter Tosh. As the so-called Riddim Twins, they also founded their own production company Taxi and worked with greats such as Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown and Barrington Levy in the seventies. A central part of their success was the development of the “Rockers” rhythm, which added more energy and syncopation to the popular “One Drop”.
In addition to Shakespeare, Dunbar also played on some of the most respected songs in reggae history, including Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves” and Bob Marley’s “Punky Reggae Party.”
Funk, disco and the path to Black Uhuru
In 2021, Dunbar explained that the Rockers beat was partly influenced by the funk and disco he and Shakespeare listened to in the late ’70s, as well as their tour with Peter Tosh as the Rolling Stones’ opening act in 1978. “We discovered our fears and realized we had to change reggae because the One Drop sounded too easy in big halls,” Dunbar said. “Back in Jamaica we experimented with an open snare at Black Uhuru – and the snare came to life.”
This more powerful sound shaped Sly and Robbie’s collaboration with Black Uhuru, with whom they worked as both a rhythm section and as producers in the late ’70s. With their support, Black Uhuru released successful albums such as “Red”, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and “Anthem”, which won the first Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 1985.
International recognition and new technologies
The success of Black Uhuru brought Sly and Robbie even greater attention. They produced and performed on albums by Grace Jones, including her groundbreaking 1981 work Nightclubbing, and on three Bob Dylan albums, including 1983’s Infidels. Further collaborations followed with Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones, Yoko Ono, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker, Ian Dury and Carly Simon. They also released their own albums such as the influential “Rhythm Killers” from 1987.
In the ’80s, Dunbar began using electronic drums and samplers. In a talk at the Red Bull Music Academy in 2008, he said many Jamaican drummers were afraid of drum machines. He himself was fascinated: “I just want to make beats. It’s cool to program something that you feel. It’s a different way of recording – and I wanted to learn that.”
Dancehall pioneer
With this technique, Dunbar helped develop reggae into dancehall. In the early ’90s, Sly and Robbie created the influential “Bam Bam” riddim – with just a guitar loop and bhangra-inspired programmed drums, no bass. Early dancehall hits such as “Bam Bam” and “Murder She Wrote” by Chaka Demus and Pliers and “Them a Bleach” by Nardo Ranks were based on this.
Further successes followed with artists such as Shabba Ranks, Simply Red, Cutty Ranks and Beenie Man. Sly and Robbie also worked with acts such as No Doubt, Sinéad O’Connor and Marianne Faithfull. In 1999 they won their second Grammy for the album “Friends”.
A life in search of new ideas
In 2012, Dunbar summed up his approach to drumming: “When I see the red light, I go for it. I take risks.” He emphasized that he respects other drummers, but is always looking for his own expression. “I’m always looking. I’m listening every day, looking for ideas.”
