Soon after, they solidified their partnership as part of Black Uhuru, mixing their love of funk and soul with roots reggae on several albums through to the mid 1980s. Their influence stretched far beyond reggae and dancehall, filtering its way through pop, hip-hop, dance music and rock across five decades.Īfter a few years orbiting each other in the early 1970s, Sly & Robbie first played together as the rhythm section of a band for a Peter Tosh live tour. Together, Sly & Robbie wrote the rule book on Jamaican and dancehall and rhythm sections, working with everyone from Peter Tosh, U-Roy, Dennis Brown and Bunny Wailer to the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Gwen Stefani. Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange, who announced his death, said in a statement: “ took bass playing and drumming to the highest level as they made music for themselves as a group, and for many other artistes locally and internationally.” The world-renowned musician died in Florida where had been in hospital for kidney surgery. “Robbie and Sly Dunbar as Sly and Robbie, have been among Jamaica’s greatest musicians.”īritish musician Ghostpoet also paid tribute on Twitter, writing that his work will “never ever be forgotten”.Robbie Shakespeare, the hugely influential producer and bass player who helped shape over 50 years of music with his creative partner Sly Dunbar, has sadly passed away at the age of 68. “I am in shock and sorrow after just receiving the news that my friend and brother, the legendary bassist Robbie Shakespeare has died,” said Olivia “Babsy” Grange, the Jamaican minister of entertainment and culture, in a statement. “I appreciate the fact that others looking in can see what we are doing for the music,” he said of the list. In 2020, Shakespeare was placed at 17 on Rolling Stone’s greatest bassists of all-time list. Shakespeare had been nominated for 13 Grammys in his career and won twice, once in 1984 for best reggae recording for Anthem and then in 1998 for best reggae album for Friends. In the 2011 documentary Reggae Got Soul: The Story of Toots and the Maytals, they were described as “one of the most influential artists ever to come out of Jamaica”.
The pair worked with artists such as Madonna, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Sting, Serge Gainsbourg and Britney Spears. They were also responsible for key shifts in reggae music as it headed to digital, introducing the “Rockers” beat and later working with Chaka Demus & Pliers to create a novel sound that distinguished songs such as Bam Bam and Murder She Wrote. In the following decade, their status grew as they worked with artists such as Joe Cocker and Grace Jones. Their breakout work was on Mighty Diamonds’ 1976 album Right Time.
The pair bonded over their varied taste in music but specifically their interest in reggae production. Sly and Robbie had come together in the mid-70s after Shakespeare already carved out his own music career from a young age. PIXTAPES is a collection of 10,000 unique, randomly generated NFTs on the SOLANA blockchain with unique titles, various backgrounds, models, labels and designs that captures the style of the 80s and early 90s.
He will be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture. (3/3) When it comes to Reggae bass playing, no one comes close to having the influence of Robbie Shakespeare. “He will be remembered for his sterling contribution to the music industry and Jamaica’s culture.” “When it comes to reggae bass playing, no one comes close to having the influence of Robbie Shakespeare,” tweeted Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness.
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