Sly Dunbar, Influential Reggae Drummer, Dead at 73
Photo by Schorle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lowell Fillmore “Sly” Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer known worldwide as half of the rhythm team Sly and Robbie, has died at 73. His passing was confirmed by DancehallMag, though details about the cause were not shared. Dunbar helped shape modern reggae through decades of recordings, live shows, and collaborations that reached far beyond Jamaica.
Born and raised in Kingston, Dunbar grew up surrounded by music in a city alive with sound system culture and local bands. From a young age, rhythm guided his life, and his playing would later influence artists across many styles, from roots reggae to rock and pop.
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Dunbar began playing music as a teenager, first tapping rhythms on school desks and household objects before ever sitting behind a drum kit. His interest was clear early on, and he followed it with full focus. He later described those early days in simple terms that showed how natural music felt to him.
“I was going to school, and I was playing on the desk in school, and then I started playing on cans,” he recalled to Berklee Online. “Then I told my mom I didn’t want to go back to school at the age of 13.” His mother agreed, allowing him to leave school and pursue music, even though he never had formal drum training.
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Building the Sly and Robbie Sound
Instead of lessons, Dunbar learned by listening closely to records by Otis Redding, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Sly and the Family Stone, and others. Those records shaped his timing and groove. In 1972, he met bassist Robbie Shakespeare, beginning one of music’s most steady partnerships.
Together, they became known for tight, deep rhythms that supported many singers and bands. They recorded with Peter Tosh and played on several important albums tied to the former Wailers member. In 1980, the pair started Taxi Records, giving Jamaican artists a label that helped spread reggae to wider audiences.
Crossing Into Global Music
Sly and Robbie’s work reached well beyond reggae. Their rhythm section appeared on albums by Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker, Serge Gainsbourg, Jackson Browne, Yoko Ono, Carly Simon, and Sinéad O’Connor, among many others. They even opened for the Rolling Stones on tour, showing how far their sound had traveled.
Despite their global reach, Dunbar never felt protective about other musicians using reggae rhythms. “A lot of people said ‘they’re taking our music,’ but I never think of that,” he said to Berklee Online. “To us we know it’s reggae, and so we felt good to know somebody is liking what we’re doing and coming in and doing covers, using our beat, and everything.”
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Legacy and Lasting Impact
Dunbar received 13 Grammy nominations and won two awards during his career. His partner Robbie Shakespeare died in 2021, marking the end of one of reggae’s most respected duos. Together, they built rhythms that became a foundation for modern Caribbean and international music.
Looking back on his life, Dunbar kept his goals simple and clear. When asked in a 2020 interview how he wished to be remembered, he said: “Making some great records, being in some great groups, playing some nice drum patterns, starting reggae all over. Just because I’ve been reading that what I’m playing makes you just want to dance, you just want to get to the club, this is what I’m all about. To make people dance.”
