Sly Dunbar, prolific drummer and one half of the famed reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie, has died, which Dance Hall Magazine confirmed. He was 73. Dunbar had reportedly been suffering from a series of health problems, though the cause of death has not been made public.
Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston in 1952, he began playing drums at age 15 with a group called the Yardbrooms. He made his first recorded appearance on Dave & Ansell Collins’ 1971 album Double Barrel when he was 18 years old.
The next year, Dunbar befriended Robbie Shakespeare, then a bassist for the Hippy Boys. They began working together shortly thereafter, backing Peter Tosh until 1981 and appearing on five of his albums. They also formed their own label, Taxi Records, in 1980, which has released music from Black Uhuru, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus and Pliers, and Ini Kamoze.
Dunbar has also worked with The Aggrovators, The Upsetters and The Revolutionaries, and is featured on Junior Murvin’s famed single “Police and Thieves.” Dunbar and Shakespeare also worked with Grace Jones in the 1980s, backing her on 1980’s Warm Leatherette and 1981’s Nightclubbing, along with 1982’s Living My Life and 2008’s Hurricane. Dunbar and Shakespeare also worked with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Bob Dylan, Serge Gainsbourg and the Rolling Stones.
Sly & Robbie released a number of records as a duo as well, beginning with the 1981 compilation Sly & Robbie Present Taxi and reaching their biggest success as a duo with 1987’s Rhythm Killers, which featured a number of high-profile guests including Bootsy Collins, jazz artist Henry Threadgill, rapper Rammellzee, Parliament’s Bernie Worrell and dancehall singer Shinehead.
Dunbar has won two Grammy awards, one in 1985 for Best Reggae Recording for Black Uhuru’s Anthem, and one in 1999 for Best Reggae Album for Sly & Robbie’s Friends. Robbie Shakespeare died in 2021.
