Sly Dunbar, Reggae’s Percussive Trailblazer, Dies at 73
Sly Dunbar, the legendary Jamaican drummer who helped redefine reggae’s modern sound alongside Robbie Shakespeare as Sly and Robbie, has died at 73, confirmed by his wife Thelma. A prodigy who left school at 13 to pursue music, Dunbar played on more than 200,000 recordings, pioneered the rockers rhythm and the Bam Bam riddim that propelled early dancehall, and worked with Black Uhuru, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Mick Jagger, and others. He and Shakespeare earned Grammys in 1985 and 1999, and their production and session work left an enduring mark on reggae and its evolution.
