Sly Dunbar: farewell to the Jamaican drummer, half of the duo Sly & Robbie

Sly Dunbar, prolific drummer and half of the famous reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie, has died at the age of 73. Dunbar had long suffered from a series of health problems, though the cause of death has not been made public.

The artist won two Grammy Awards – one in 1985 for Best Reggae Recording, with Black Uhuru's "Anthem", and one in 1999 for Best Reggae Album with Sly and Robbie's "Friends".

Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston in 1952, he started playing drums at 15 with the Yardbrooms. He recorded his first album in 1971, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansell Collins, at the age of eighteen. The following year Dunbar struck up a friendship with Robbie Shakespeare, then bassist with the Hippy Boys, who died in 2021. They began working together backing Peter Tosh until 1981, playing on five of his albums. In 1980 they also founded the label Taxi Records, which released music by Black Uhuru, Beenie Man, Chaka Demus and Pliers, and Ini Kamoze.

Among the most significant records the duo worked on are Junior Murvin's “Police and Thieves”, Grace Jones's albums “Warm Leatherette”, “Nightclubbing”, “Living My Life” and “Hurricane” by Grace Jones, Carly Simon's “Hello Big Man”, Mick Jagger's “She’s the Boss”, three Bob Dylan records from the Eighties – “Infidels”, “Empire Burlesque” and “Down in the Groove” –, Joe Cocker's “Sheffield Steel”, Sinéad O'Connor's “Throw Down Your Arms”, “Life” and “Blue” by Simply Red, “World in Motion” by Jackson Browne and Joan Armatrading's “Walk Under Ladders”.

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