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Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare — Sly & Robbie, also known
as “The Riddim Twins” — played on reggae classics by Black Uhuru,
Jimmy Cliff and Peter Tosh and would garner attention far from
Jamaica, from the likes of Grace Jones and the Rolling Stones.
Sly & Robbie played on three of Jones’ albums — “Warm
Leatherette,” “Nightclubbing” and “Living My Life” — as well as
four albums by Serge Gainsbourg and three by Dylan, 1983’s
“Infidels,” 1985’s “Empire Burlesque” and 1988's “Down in the
Groove.”
“Words cannot describe how heartbroken I am to hear of the
passing of my friend and legend,” singer Ali Campbell of UB40
posted on Facebook. “Modern day beats simply wouldn’t be what
they are without the influence of reggae and dancehall riddims
that Sly single-handedly pioneered.”
“Sly & Robbie were undisputed masters of the art, bringing a
nuanced, unhurried and rock-solid rhythmic approach,” Rolling
Stone magazine wrote in tribute. Shakespeare died in 2021.
Dunbar played with the Revolutionaries, the house band for
Jamaica’s Channel One studio, while also touring, and played on
Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves,” Maxi Priest's “Easy to
Love,” Dave and Ansell Collins’ classic “Double Barrel” and
Marley’s “Punky Reggae Party.”
Nominated 13 times for a Grammy, he won twice — when Black
Uhuru's “Anthem” nabbed the inaugural Grammy for best reggae
recording in 1985 and when Sly & Robbie's “Friends” won best
reggae album in 1999.
In 1980, Sly & Robbie co-founded Taxi Records, which has
nurtured such artists as Shaggy, Shabba Ranks, Skip Marley,
Beenie Man and Red Dragon.
“When you buy a reggae record, there’s a 90% chance the drummer
is Sly Dunbar,” producer Brian Eno told the New Music New York
festival in 1979. “You get the impression that Sly Dunbar is
chained to a studio seat somewhere in Jamaica, but in fact what
happens is that his drum tracks are so interesting, they get
used again and again.”
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