Lowell “Sly” Dunbar, the Jamaican drummer who, as half of the duo Sly & Robbie, was a trailblazer in reggae music and played alongside legends like Bob Marley and Mick Jagger, has died.
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The 73-year-old’s death was confirmed to the Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner by his wife, Thelma. She told the outlet she found Dunbar unresponsive on the morning of Jan. 26, with doctors later pronouncing him dead. While he had reportedly been unwell for several months, the cause of his death has not been disclosed.
Born Lowell Fillmore Dunbar in Kingston, Jamaica, on May 10, 1952, Dunbar started playing drums as a child. He joined his first band at 15 and befriended bassist Robbie Shakespeare in 1972. Together, as Sly & Robbie, they played with the band The Revolutionaries and laid the foundation for Jamaican reggae’s rise to global popularity.
The duo quickly became one of the most sought-after rhythm sections of their time. They contributed to iconic reggae albums such as Peter Tosh’s Legalize It, the Mighty Diamonds’ Right Time, and Black Uhuru’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
Sly Dunbar Collaborated with Artists Ranging From Bob Dylan to No Doubt
Per Pitchfork, in 1978, Sly & Robbie toured with the Rolling Stones, the same year Dunbar released his debut solo album, Simply Slyman. By the early 1980s, the duo launched their own label, Taxi Records. As members of Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point house band, they also backed prominent artists including Grace Jones, Serge Gainsbourg, Mick Jagger, and Bob Dylan.
Sly & Robbie collaborated on Bob Dylan’s Infidels (1983) and Empire Burlesque (1985), three early ’80s Grace Jones albums (Warm Leatherette, Nightclubbing, Living My Life), and worked with artists like Joe Cocker, Herbie Hancock, Black Uhuru, Ian Dury, Jimmy Cliff, Marianne Faithfull, No Doubt, and Sinéad O’Connor. They also produced remixes for Madonna, Britney Spears, New Order, and Fugees.
Sly & Robbie continued to tour and record together into the 2000s, until Shakespeare’s death in 2021. Through their Taxi label studio, they also produced works for Elephant Man, Buju Banton, and other new Jamaican artists.
Sly & Robbie won the first-ever Grammy for Best Reggae Recording in 1985 for their work on Black Uhuru’s Anthem. They won again in 1999 for their own album, Friends.
Dunbar’s work reached the top of the Hot 100 twice: first with Maxi Priest’s “Close To You” in 1990, and again with Omi’s “Cheerleader” in 2015.