Biography
The foundations of Jamaica’s drumming style were set with the innovative playing of Sly Dunbar (born: Lowell Fillmore Dunbar). As one-half from the Riddim Twins, Dunbar became a member of with bassist Robbie Shakespeare to supply the tempo section and/or creation for recordings by reggae performers including Peter Tosh, Dark Uhuru, the Mighty Diamond jewelry, and U-Roy and non-Jamaican performers including Bob Dylan, Sophistication Jones, the Rolling Rocks, Joe Cocker, Ian Dury, Herbie Hancock, Maxi Priest, Cindy Lauper, Carly Simon, KRS-One, and Queen Latifah. Sly & Robbie’s very own albums include Close friends, which received a Grammy prize as “Greatest Reggae Record” in 1999. By himself, Dunbar has documented four single albums — Merely Sly Guy in 1976, Sly, Wicked and Slick in 1977, Sly Move Ville in 1982, and Reggae Drumsplash, an encyclopedic exploration of Jamaican rhythms which includes 843 sampled loops, in 1997. Based on Keyboard Newspaper, “(Dunbar’s) electro/acoustic shuffles and stomps are second to non-e”. Dunbar’s first motivation for playing the drums was sparked while you’re watching Lloyd Knibbs as well as the Skatalites on tv. Throughout a 1997 interview, he recalled, “I noticed (Knibbs) playing and I believed, ‘I desire to be a drummer’ because he’s the hardest employee within the music group. He’s my idol! In a few methods, I’m self-taught but I acquired a whole lot of help from various other drummers by viewing them play.” Dunbar, whose nickname was apparently directed at him for his interest for Sly & the Family members Stone, released his musical profession while still in his teenagers, playing with an area group, the Yardbrooms at age 15. His documenting debut emerged, in 1969, when he made an appearance on an record, Increase Barrel, by Dave and Ansell Collins. He eventually continued to try out with Ansell Collins within a music group, Epidermis, Flesh and Bone fragments. Get together Robbie Shakespeare, after that playing bass for the Hippy Children, in 1972, Dunbar started a life-long camaraderie.When Shakespeare was asked to recommend a drummer for the recording program for manufacturer Bunny Lee’s Aggrevators, he remembered Dunbar. Following program, Dunbar and Shakespeare decided to maintain working jointly.Their initial break came if they accompanied Peter Tosh on his album, Legalize It!, in 1976. The duo continuing to try out with Tosh’s music group until 1979, documenting four extra albums — Identical Privileges, Bush Doctor, Mystic Man, and Wished: Dread And Alive, and making Tosh’s strike duet with Mick Jagger, “(CONTINUE Strolling) Don’t Appear Back again),” in 1978. Based on tale, the duo resided on breads and drinking water while touring with Tosh, to save lots of enough money to start out their own creation business. Their persis tance paid. Shortly after departing Tosh’s group, Dunbar and Shakespeare released Taxi cab Productions and shaped a studio music group, The Taxi cab All-Stars.Their first session yielded lots one Jamaican hit, “Soon Forward,” for Gregory Isaacs. Dunbar and Shakespeare’s most enduringcollaborationn continues to be with Dark Uhuru, with whom they’ve toured and created six albums — Display, Red, Sinsemilla, RELAX, Anthem, and Dub Element. Among their first use non-Jamaican artists had been three albums — Warm Leatherette, released in 1980, Nightclubbing, released in 1981, and Living MY ENTIRE LIFE, released in 1982 — by Elegance Jones. In 1997, Dunbar and Shakespeare created a chart-topping solitary, “Dancehall Queen,” for Beenie Guy and Chevell Franklyn.
Quick Facts
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# | Fact |
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1 | With Robbie Shakespeare as Sly and Robbie, he is one of the personalities mentioned in the song Genius of Love by Tom Tom Club. The others mentioned were Bob Marley, Smokey Robinson, 'Hamilton Bohannon', George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and Kurtis Blow. |
2 | With Robbie Shakespeare, he is one-half of Sly and Robbie, reggae music's most prolific and long lasting production team. They are considered originators of the "Rockers" rhythm. They started working together in the mid 1970s, after having established themselves separately on the Jamaican music scene. |
3 | He is humorously sometimes referred to as Sly Drumbar, while 'Robert 'Robbie' Shakespeare' as Robbie Bassspeare. |
4 | Together with Robbie Shakespeare, he formed Taxi label in 1980. It has seen releases from many international successful artists, including Black Uhuru, Chaka Demus & Pliers, Ini Kamoze, Beenie Man and Red Dragon. |
5 | He has played for The Aggrovators for Bunny Lee; The Upsetters for Lee Perry, The Revolutionaries for Joseph Hoo Kim... Recorded for Barry O'Hare in the 1990s. |
6 | As a member of Word, Sound & Power, he backed Peter Tosh on the album Mystic Man. |
7 | He together with Robbie also played on Bob Dylan's albums Infidels and Empire Burlesque (using recordings from Infidels sessions). |
8 | Nicknamed Sly after Sly Stone, one of his favorite musicians. |
9 | Sly was a drummer for the Skin Flesh and Bones band before forming Sly and Robbie. |
10 | A drummer. |
11 | He is a huge fan of Motown, Philly Sound and Country & Western, in addition to Jamaican legendary labels Studio One and Treasure Isle, and Reggae production in particular. |
12 | He used to play in club Tit for Tat. |
Soundtrack
Soundtrack
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Voice | 2016 | TV Series writer - 1 episode | |
Death in Paradise | 2011 | TV Series performer - 1 episode | |
Saturday Night Live | TV Series producer - 1 episode, 2008 writer - 1 episode, 2008 | ||
Grand Theft Auto IV | 2008 | Video Game writer: "Driver A" - as S. Dunbar | |
The Wire | 2002 | TV Series writer - 1 episode | |
Ali G Indahouse | 2002 | as Dunbar, "FRESH FROM YARD", "TEASE ME" | |
Save the Last Dance | 2001 | as Sly Dunbar, "Murder She Wrote" | |
Whatever It Takes | 2000 | writer: "Pull Up to the Bumper", "Emperor" - as Sly Dunbar | |
The Wog Boy | 2000 | writer: "Pull Up To The Bumper" - as Sly Dunbar | |
Third World Cop | 1999 | writer: "Zen Concrete", "Dungle Boogie", "Papers", "Scare Dem Train", "Mambo Jambo", "Drilling for Oil", "Soft Core Surge", "We Run Tings" - as L. Dunbar | |
How to Be a Player | 1997 | writer: "East Coast to the West Coast" - as Sly Dunbar | |
Speed 2: Cruise Control | 1997 | producer: "The Tide Is High" - as Sly Dunbar | |
A Brother's Kiss | 1997 | writer: "Slow Wine" - as Sly Dunbar | |
The Reggae Movie | 1995 | Documentary writer: "Tease Me" - as S. Dunbar | |
Smoke | 1995 | producer: "Sexy dumb dumb" - as Sly Dunbar | |
Poetic Justice | 1993 | writer: "I Wanna Be Your Man" - as Sly Dunbar | |
Boomerang | 1992 | as Sly Dunbar, "Pull Up to the Bumper" | |
Class Act | 1992 | writer: "Housecall" - as Sly Dunbar | |
Men at Work | 1990 | writer: "SUPER COOL", "HERE AND BEYOND" - as Sly Dunbar | |
Slaves of New York | 1989 | producer: "Some Guys Have All the Luck" | |
Street Smart | 1987 | writer: "Peanut Butter" - as S. Dunbar | |
Miami Vice | 1985-1986 | TV Series writer - 2 episodes |
Music Department
Music Department
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae | 2009 | Documentary musician - as Sly Dunbar | |
Third World Cop | 1999 | music supervisor - as Sly Dunbar |
Actor
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | 2004 | Video Game | DJ Marshall Peters (voice, uncredited) |
Composer
Composer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Third World Cop | 1999 | as Sly |
Self
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Ali Campbell: Great British Songs | 2010 | Video documentary short | Himself |
Rise Up | 2009/I | Documentary | |
Saturday Night Live | 2008 | TV Series | Himself |
Dub Echoes | 2008 | Documentary | Himself |
Queens of Disco | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Minha Intuição | 2007 | Video documentary | Himself |
Made in Jamaica | 2006 | Documentary | Himself |
Reggae: The Story of Jamaican Music | 2002 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Lost in Music | 1995 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
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