Legendar
Robbie Shakespeare was an influential Jamaican reggae artist – one half of the duo with Sly Dunbar on drums.
He was said to have died in Florida where he had recently been in hospital for kidney surgery, according to Jamaica Gleaner reports.
The prolific bassist and music producer is credited with revolutionising the sound of reggae and dancehall music.
Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange who announced Shakespeare’s death, described him as one of the country’s great musicians.
Throughout a career spanning almost 50 years, Shakespeare collaborated with artists as varied as Madonna, Bob Dylan, Peter Tosh, the Rolling Stones, Third World and Grace Jones.
He was born in Jamaica’s capital city of Kingston in 1953, and learnt how to play bass under the guidance of Aston Barrett of The Wailers, after they met in Shakespeare’s backyard.
Having already established himself as a talented musician, he teamed up with drummer Sly Dunbar in the mid-1970s. They had various band names, but settled on Sly and Robbie, and became one of the most influential rhythm and production duos in the history of reggae.
Shakespeare helped create the unique sounds heard in Murder She Wrote and Bam Bam – two songs considered some of the most legendary and important in reggae and dancehall.
Both Shakespeare and Dumbar also produced music for movie soundtracks, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Poetic Justice.
Shakespeare was nominated for 13 Grammy awards and won two – in 1984 for best reggae recording for Anthem, and then in 1998 for best reggae album for Friends.
He was a music legend, not just in reggae but in rock and roll(r & b). With Sly, the duo became the most sought after rhythm section in the world and great producers.
Until his demise, Robbie remained one of the best base guitarists the world ever produced. His base lines with “BLACK UHURU” according to music analysts are evergreen!
The great bassist can be remembered during the great Reggae Sunsplash concerts in Nigeria in 1982 at T.B.S. Lagos as a backup session musician that backed most of the greatest reggae artists that performed.
Goodbye Mr Robbie Shakespeare, legend of Reggae music with so many basslines offered to the world.