Lowell “Sly” Dunbar, the reggae drummer who helped define the sound of Jamaican music for decades, died Monday. He was 73.
Dunbar had been in poor health and died at his home in Kingston, according to Dancehall Mag. His cause of death was not immediately known.
Dunbar was best known for his partnerships with bassist Robbie Shakespeare, and the duo released several acclaimed albums together as Sly & Robbie.
But along with their own work, Dunbar and Shakespeare appeared on hundreds of reggae records from the 1970s through the 2010s, eventually forming their own studio and working as the rhythm section.
“Well, it’s like I play 90% of the tunes that come out of Jamaica. Sometimes I even go and overdub some drums that other drummers have played on,” Dunbar said in one interview. “I move good with everyone, and they give me sessions.”
Dunbar got his start in the Jamaican reggae scene in 1970, then began working with Shakespeare in the middle of the decade. The two quickly found chemistry and began appearing on numerous records. Their sound came to define music across the island.
Peter Noble/Redferns
Sly Dunbar performs in 2000. (Photo by Peter Noble/Redferns)
“When a singer comes into the studio, we listen to the song. And the bass player may start a line. And I’ll try to find a drum pattern to fit it,” Dunbar explained to online outlet Reggae Vibes. “That means if the drum pattern fits the whole melody of the sound, any bass that is playing is supposed to work right, ’cause if you try to find a rhythm to match a song from the drums, you find the bass fit right.”
In addition to their work with a large swath of prominent reggae artists, Dunbar and Shakespeare worked on tracks with the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Grace Jones, Bob Dylan and No Doubt later in their career. Dunbar was nominated for 13 Grammys and won two.
Shakespeare died in 2021, and Dunbar had dealt with health problems stemming from a slipped disc for years, according to Dancehall Mag. He is survived by his wife, Thelma, and a daughter.
