The ‘Word Sound and Power’ of Sly Dunbar
Published:Sunday | February 1, 2026 | 12:06 AMJ. T. Davy - Sunday Gleaner Writer
There are production twosomes whose contribution to modern musical history cannot be quantified. In hip hop, there is the Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo); for the Minneapolis sound that dominated the 1980s, there is Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; and R&B would get a makeover in the late 1990s and early 2000s thanks to Missy Elliot and Timberland who crafted the sounds of artistes such as Aaliyah and Tweet.
In Afrobeat, the relationship between Fela Kuti and Tony Allen helped shape the genre and laid the roots of the now world dominated sound of Afrobeats. Then, João Gilberto & Antônio Carlos Jobim collaborated effort redefined Brazilian jazz with Bossa Nova. In rock, the work of Jack Douglas and Jay Messina created some of the genre’s most acclaimed albums; while the highly-sought-after R&B production duo, Nova Wav, is the collective formed between Blu June and Chi.
Indeed, it is within this class of musical dyads that Jamaica’s very own Sly and Robbie belong. This reverence was on display back in 2021 when the musical fraternity mourned the death of Robbie and it is back in the spotlight with the passing of the duo’s other half, Sly Dunbar, on January 26.
Born Lowell Dunbar on May 10, 1952, in Kingston, Sly owes his musical awakening to the legendary drummer Lloyd Knibb. As he recalled in a 2021 interview with the podcast, Music Is My Life:
“The first thing I heard where I realised that I wanted to be a musician is a band in Jamaica called the Skatalites. Lloyd Knibb is the drummer ... Just the way he plays and the sound of his drums, and the attitude that he played with and the groove. It made me want to play drums, yeah.”
By the age of 13, Dunbar, with the support of his mother, dropped out of Trench Town Comprehensive High and decided to pursue drumming full time. Practising on tin drums while receiving mentorship from notable drummers such as Carlton Barrett from the Wailers, Dunbar joined the band, the Yardbrooms.
By the age of 15, Dunbar recorded his first session, with the help of Ansell Collins. Out of this would come The Night Doctor, which became popular among skinheads in Britain when Collins licensed the instrumental to the Upsetter Label. Dunbar second recorded session came soon after when he played on the crossover hit, Double Barrell (1971). With the international success of the hit, it marked the first time, the world was hearing Dunbar on drums.
As he continued to hone his skills, Dunbar would eventually join The Volcanoes and around this time, he adopted the nickname, Sly, due to his adoration of another recently passed musical legend Sly Stone – the frontman of Sly and the Family Stone. While at The Volcanoes, Sly met Al Brown and when the band split, Skin, Flesh and Bones was formed with Brown on vocals and Dunbar on drums. The group took up residence at the Stables nightclub on Red Hills Road, and it was while there that Sly would encounter Robbie Shakespeare, who was playing for the Bunny Lee and the Aggrovators. In recalling the first time he saw Sly playing, Robbie told Red Bull Music Academy:
“Sly is sitting down on the drums, and I said, ‘Whoa, he can beat a drum. That’s a good sound, I want a session with that youth.’ ” So, the next morning I told Bunny [‘Striker’] Lee, “Striker, I found a wicked drummer, I want to use him on a session. Book the time.” So, I called Sly and we started playing and everyone was jumping, ‘Whoa yeah! ‘” The studio was packed, and they said, ‘Yeah, that combination is wicked.’ ”
It was in that moment that both men realised their musical kinship. Soon after, they were at Channel One Studios where they worked on several records, most notably those of the Revolutionaries. As the 1970s progressed, Sly worked with Freddie McKay, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, and others. Robbie would then recruit Sly to be a part of the band, Word Sound and Power, which backed Peter Tosh’s 1977 global tour.
Around this time, the men would also lend their talents to the soon-to-be classic album, Right Time, by the Mighty Diamonds. His work on that project further established Sly as one of the most-prolific drummers in music at this time, thanks to his complex drum patterns that other musicians found hard to imitate.
Sly and Robbie would gain recognition for changing the sound of music by introducing the beat Rockers which replaced the “one drop” style of musical production that previously dominated Jamaican music. The decade also saw Sly release two instrumental solo albums, Simple Sly Man (1978) and Sly Wicked and Slick (1979).
Sly and Robbie would continue to tour with several local artistes overseas, thus making a name for themselves throughout the North American mainland and Europe. By 1981, both men would be a part of the Chris Blackwell’s Compass Point All Stars which would go play a pivotal part in the career of Grace Jones by providing musical support on her acclaimed 1981 album, Nightclubbing.
Throughout the rest of the 1980s, Sly, now one of the most-sought-after instrumentalists in music, would play on several lauded projects including those from Herbie Hancock, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and Ini Kamoze. In 1985, Sly, alongside Robbie, would win a Grammy for Best Reggae Recording for their role as producers of Black Uhuru’s Anthem. It was the first time a reggae category was introduced at the awards.
Taxi Records
With the rise of electronic drumming, Sly teamed up Robbie in 1987 to released Rhythm Killers which contain the UK hit, Boops (Here to Go). Their follow-up album, Silent Assassin, came two years later.
The nineties saw Sly playing a major role in the global rise of dancehall. With the establish-ment of his and Robbie’s label, Taxi Records, Sly co-produced a number of the genres biggest hits including Chaka Demus & Pliers’ Bam Bam (1992), Tease Me (1993) and Murder She Wrote (1994). Then in 1999, Sly and Robbie would earn their second Grammy win, when Friends (1997), won in the Best Reggae Album category. Sly would earn 13 Grammy nominations during his career.
In the 2000s Sly continued to play a pivotal role in music. One of the most lauded was in 2001, when he and Robbie co-produced No Doubt’s Billboard Top 10 hits, Underneath It All and Hey Baby. It was under their direction that both Lady Saw and Bounty Killer were added to each song, respectively, ultimately resulting in Grammy wins for both musicians.
Then in 2008, Sly worked with Madonna on remixes for Give It 2 Me. In 2012, he played on OMI’s Cheerleader where two years later, its remix would become a global hit. For his work, 2015 saw Sly, alongside Robbie, awarded the Order of Distinction by the Jamaican Government and the Musgrave Gold Medal by the Institute of Jamaica. Right up until his death, Sly continue to tour and work on music.
It is this fathomless contribution to music why there has been an outpouring of local and global tributes, since the news of his death. As Questlove, drummer for The Roots, wrote on Instagram,
“If there ever was a drummer who captured the spirit of the dancer and remained unsung its Sly Dunbar ... If Marley & associates were your introduction, Sly & Robbie was your education to why this music was hypnotic & timeless. He is now joining his partner Robbie in the next dimension. Rest In Riddem Bruddah!”