Sly Dunbar
b. Lowell Dunbar, 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica. In 1969 Dunbar commenced his recording career with Lee Perry, playing drums on Night Doctor by the Upsetters, which appears on both THE UPSETTER and Return of Django. The following year, he played on Dave Barker and Ansell Collins’ massive hit Double Barrel. Around this time he also joined the Youth Professionals who had a residency at the Tit For Tat Club on Red Hills Road, Kingston. He paid frequent visits to another club further up the same road, Evil People, where he struck up a friendship with bass player Robbie Shakespeare (b. 27 September 1953, Kingston, Jamaica). Deciding to work together, their professional relationship as Sly And Robbie began. In 1972/3, Sly joined Skin Flesh And Bones, backing Al Brown on his best-selling cover of Al Green's Here I Am Baby. The same year, Sly and Robbie became founder members of the Revolutionaries, Channel One studio's houseband. They recorded hit after hit, and the studio soon became the most in-demand on the island. Sly's technical proficiency and relentless inventiveness drove him to constantly develop original drum patterns, and while most of the island's other drummers were copying his latest innovations, he would move on and create something new. In this way, he had an enormous influence on the direction that reggae took from the mid-70s onwards. Sly's inventive and entertaining playing can be heard on dub and instrumental albums such as VITAL DUB, SATTA DUB and REVOLUTIONARY SOUNDS, as well as supporting the Mighty Diamonds on their classic RIGHT TIME. He also recorded extensively with the Professionals, Joe Gibbs’ houseband, playing on classics such as VISIONS by Dennis Brown, TWO SEVENS CLASHby Culture and AFRICAN DUB CHAPTER 3. Derrick Harriott went one step further and put him on the cover of GO DEH WID RIDDIM (1977), which was credited to Sly And The Revolutionaries. He was then signed to Virgin, who released two disappointing solo albums, SIMPLE SLY MAN (1978) and SLY WICKED AND SLICK (1979). Around this time, Sly was the first drummer to integrate successfully synthesized drums into his playing, and a little later became the first reggae drummer to use a Simmons electronic drum kit. 
In 1979 Sly And Robbie moved into record production with their own Taxi label, scoring with Black Uhuru's best-selling SHOWCASE. Further recordings included Gregory Isaacs’ SHOWCASE and the various artists compilation, PRESENTING TAXI (1981). They had their greatest commercial success with Black Uhuru, with whom they recorded four further albums. In 1984, they became official members of the group, but left later that year after the departure of Michael Rose. At the same time, they established Ini Kamoze as a major new reggae artist, released Dennis Brown's BROWN SUGAR and Sugar Minott's SUGAR AND SPICE, plus three ground-breaking albums with Grace Jones which were hugely successful and introduced their talents to the world outside of reggae. They have since recorded widely with artists such as Mick Jagger, Carly Simon, Gwen Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Robert Palmer, James Brown, Manu Dibango and Herbie Hancock. They also teamed up with Bill Las well for a series of innovative soul/funk/crossover albums including LANGUAGE BARRIER, RHYTHM KILLERS, SILENT ASSASIN and Material's THE THIRD POWER. They have continued to develop their own reggae sound with recordings from their new discoveries 54-46 and Kotch, some of which are included on the compilations SOUND OF THE '90S and CARIB SOUL. They have already changed the musical world, and their restless creativity ensures that they will continue to do so.