Sly Dunbar, legendary reggae drummer, dies aged 73
LOS ANGELES – Two-time Grammy Award-winning reggae drummer Sly Dunbar, who fueled countless tracks from Bob Marley to Bob Dylan and was one-half of the influential reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie, has died. He was 73. Dunbar’s wife, Thelma, announced the death to the Jamaica Gleaner. Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare – Sly & Robbie, also known as “The Riddim Twins” – played on reggae classics by Black Uhuru, Jim-my Cliff and Peter Tosh and would gar-ner 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 Gains-bourg and three by Dylan, 1983’s “Infi-dels,” 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.”





