Sly Dunbar

As Sly will mention later on, the first record he played

drums on was ’Night Doctor’ by the Upsetters, which he cre-

dits as an Ansell Collins production. His next session was

’Double Barrel’ by Dave & Ansell Collins, which came out in

1970, and was produced by Winston Riley. It seems he then

joins the Youth Professionals, who got at least one release

backing Carl Dawkins on his fine record ’Walk A Little

Prouder’ issued on Newbeat in the UK in 1971. At the time

the Youth Professionals played regularly at Dickie Wong’s

’Tit For Tat’ club on Red Hills Road. By 1973 Sly was work-

ing with Skin Flesh & Bones also at the ’Tit For Tat’ club. In

November of that year the band, with Al Brown on vocals,

issued their version of Al Green’s ‘Here I Am Baby’. It was

produced by Dickie Wong, and it hit big in Jamaica and the

UK.

So much so, that Trojan issued the instrumental version of

the tune by the band called ’Butter Fe Fish’ on the Harry J

label in 1974, which also did well. From that time to the

Rockers era, Skin Flesh& Bones were probably Jamaica’s

No.2 backing band. The top position belonged to the Soul

Syndicate Band, who worked with Bunny Lee on the popu-

lar ’Flying Cymbal Sound’.

But Skin Flesh & Bones were always there with their reggae

version of the Disco/Soul bump sound, and it was that

sound that first gave Sly some recognition. Along with the

rest of the band, who consisted of Bertram MacLean (Gui-

tar), Lloyd Parks (Bass), Errol‘ Nelson (Organ) and Pat

(Conga & Bongoes). During 1974/75 Skin Flesh & Bones

worked with many producers. But it was Lloyd F. Campbell

who probably captured the group at its best.

Working out of Randy’s Studio 17 on North Parade, he re-

corded with them some of Jimmy London’s best work. Mu-

sic like ’What Good Am I’ and ’I’m Your Puppet’ and the

Itals classic ’In Dis Yah Time’. These tunes were issued by

Jama in the UK, along with what many consider to be one

of the best dub albums ever made, .’Fighting Dub’. The al-

bum produced by Lloyd F. Campbell showed all that was

good in Skin Flesh & Bones bump sound. It was an almost

perfect integration of then current soul & reggae.

However, Sly wanted to take the sound even further. And it

was JoJo Hookim, owner of the emerging Channel One

studios, who gave him the opportunity. Channel One re-

leased ’Right Time’ by the Diamonds, and the rockers sound

was born. 

Sly was now a member of the Revolutionaries

who consisted of a combination of musicians including Sly

& Barnabas on drums, Robbie Shakespeare/Lloyd Parks-

/Ranchie MacLean on Bass, Rad Bryan/Bo Pee — rhythm

guitar, Dougie & Tony Chin — lead guitar, Ansell Collins —

organ, Winston Wright — piano, and on percussion were

Sticky and Skully.

With the Revolutionaries, Sly played on a number of out-

standing dub albums, all recorded for Channel One includ-

ing ‘Well Charge — Vital Dub’ (which was so popular on

pre-release that it was being sold in record shops in London

for four or five times the amount of a normal prerelease al-

bum), ’Disco Mix — Satta Dub’ and ’Full Charge Revival

Dub’. All these albums and countless singles for Channel

One, and for studios like Joe Gibbs (where he played drums

as a member of the Professionals) and Sonia Pottinger’s

Treasure Isle studio, quickly gave him the kind of popularity

where his name had to be on a dub album if you wanted it to

sell.

In 1977, Derrick Harriott took the idea one step further and

put Sly on the front cover! ’Go Deh Wid Riddim’ by Sly &

the Revolutionaries released on Derrick Harriott’s Crystal

label was an instant success:

"Introducing to the world,

the greatest reggae drummer

The man called Sly,

who’s going to make you jump & twirl,

even if you don’t have no girl

• Go Deh Wid Riddim Higher.”

The excitement the album generated together with the gen-

eral positive aura that surrounded Sly at the time was en-

ough for him to be wanted by Virgin’s new Front Line reg-

gae label, and they signed him. As Sly explains he was to be

found on 90% of the records coming out of Jamaica then

(more like two thirds). Virgin had a very easy task to put out

as good an album as Derrick Harriott’s. Instead they issued

’Simple Sly Man’ in 1978. The album was greeted with

widespread dismay.

Sly was more hopeful about his next album for the Front

Line label ’Sly Wicked & Slick’ that was issued in 1979. It

was certainly an improvement over ’Simple Sly Man’, but

two out of the eight tracks were very easy listening.

The response to the unfavourable reception given to his two

Front Line albums was ’Disco Dub’ released in Jamaica on

the Gorgon label in 1979. The album represented two

things: the breakup of the Revolutionaries (Channel One’s

studio band was now the Roots Radics) and the beginning

of Sly’s partnership with Robbie Shakespeare. The two of

them began to produce Black Uhuru. But their first album

together as ’Sly & Robbie’ was ’Disco Dub’. It’s an exciting

album. It brings together the Revolutionaries, again, but this

time they are now being arranged & produced by Sly &

Robbie. Ranchie, Winston Wright, Ansell Collins & Dougie

responded very well to the change. 

They gave Sly & Robbie the good start they needed in the 

business. For ’Disco Dub’ showed that Sly & Robbie had

some good ideas. They wanted to go forward, but had enough

sense to know they couldn’t do it on their own.

’Gamblers Choice’ followed in1980 and introduced the Taxi label,

Sly & Robbie’s own label. Black Uhuru’s album (‘Stalk Of’)

’Sensimilla’ was also issued at the same time on the label.

Island issued the album in the UK, which meant of course

that Sly & Robbie were now subject to Island Records ma-

chinations.

Typically Island got off to a good start. ’Presenting Taxi’, re-

leased in 1981, is an excellent various artists album, includ-

ing great works from Dennis Brown, Junior Delgado, Wail-

ing Souls and The Viceroys. ’Raiders Of The Lost Dub’ from

Island was also well received.

Following it was a tedious dub of Black Uhuru music called

’Dub Factor’ which was released in the US on Island in

1983. ’Rebel Soldier’ featuring the mixing skills of Soljie

- Anthony Hamilton, the current engineer at Channel One came

next in 1983. It was much better. As the sleeve states - "This

album gets down to the roots of the music.” 

’Crucial Reggae’, another various artist set with music from

Carlton Livingstone, Dennis Brown and Yellowman, ’Taxi

Wax’ issued on Taxi in Jamaica in 1984 with music from

Sugar Minott and Dennis Brown, and the Unmetered Taxi’

LP which featured ten cuts of the ’Peanut Vendor’ rhythm

with fresh and young talented artists like Frankie Jones,

Anthony Johnson, Patrick Andy, Hugh Griffiths, Earl Six-

teen and Jackie Statement, all show and prove that the

roots of the music is where Sly & Robbie are always at their

best. 

It’s time for a major record company to recognise that

fact, and release and promote albums like those mentioned

above with the same vigour with which Island promoted

’Language Barrier’, a funk album from Sly & Robbie which

came out in 1985. Until a company is prepared to make

such a commitment talented musicians and producers like

Sly & Robbie will never get the full recognition they de-

serve, and will be forever at the beck and call of the rock

music business, whose attitudes and interests change as ea-

sily as the wind.

The biggest thing you’ve been responsible for this year

(1978), has been to change the beat. What do you call it?

“

You get a certain rhythm, some they call it ’Sly Tackle’,

some they call ’Jumpers’ and some Bouncers’. And the type

of drum I play on ’Don’t Look Back’ by Peter Tosh, I call a

basket ball thing.”

Sly then goes into amazing vocal impressions of different

rhythms. ’Sly Tackle’ is like the beginning of ’Bredda Grava-

licious’ by the Wailing Souls. Jumpers’ is like ’On The

Beach’ by Johnny Clarke. An album which features some of

his best work is ’Cool Ruler’, Gregory lsaacs’ album. I asked

him what he would call say ’Party In The Slum’ on the ’Cool

Ruler’ album?

“I cant recall certain tracks, but there are a lot of conga

drums playing — yeah, instead of using the snare, right, I was

playing congas. I just place the conga, in place of the snare,

’cause right now were going into the conga sound in reg-

gae.”

Someone said it was tom toms?

“No”.

It’s also been said that the board is responsible for most of

the drum sounds?

“No, it wasn’t the board really. It was me — then the board its

when they’re mixing the dub, you put the reverb on, like

echo, you know, on the drum. Turn down the vocal, and

turn it up for the drum.”

There seems like two different types of bouncers. On ’Mon-

ey In My Pocket’ there seems to be a booming sound. How

did you get that?

“Well ah, we was recording this tune, John Holt’s ’Have You

Ever Been In Love’, that’s at Channel One, right. We work-

ing on the chords, and er, do you remember the original ver-

sion of ’Sun Is Shining’ that the Wailers did? They had this

rhythm guitar going (vocal impression of rhythm guitar). So

I tune my side drum almost to the pitch of the rhythm guitar.

So they said, ”lt sounds great, we’ll try it. ”

Are the drummers in Ja trying to copy your sound or trying

to adapt it?

“Some of them copy, some have their own style. Everyone of

them alright. “

When you record for Channel One, you’re with the Revolu-

tionaries, then with Joe Gibbs, the Professionals. Is there a

difference?

“The Revolutionaries are myself, Robbie, Ranchie, Dougie,

Ansell Collins and Sticky. The Professionals are myself

Lloyd Parks, Bo Pee, Frankie & Robbie.”

The new drumming — is it easier for a bass player to find a

bass pattern?

“When a singer come into the studio, we listen to the song.

And the bass player may start a line. And I’ll try to find a

drum pattern to fit it. That means if the drum pattern fits the

whole melody of the sound, any bass that is playing is sup~

posed to work right, ’cause if you try to find a rhythm to

match a song from the drums, you find the bass fit right.

Sometimes again you can play to the bass line, instead of

playing to the song. But you have to listen to the two of

them very close.”

The album that Front Line released, it didn’t really show

you in a good light.

“That wasn’t really like an album. It was some rhythm tracks

they said they liked, and released them. Like now, I ’m a mu-

sician, you can’t really make an album that just features the

drum. Like, I play on so many record in Jamaica any pro-

ducer could put out a dub album with me playing on it. I’m

doing one now from the musician’s point of view, not just

the drummer’s.”

How about the album with Derrick Harriott?

“Just some rhythm tracks. I-Ie put it out with my name and

the Revolutionaries, to get it to sell. If he put out a Derrick

Harriott dub album, it wouldn’t sell as much.”

What drummers did you listen to when you first started to

play the drums?

“A drummer that used to play with the Skatalites, Lloyd

Knibbs. Al Jackson, Harvey Mason, Steve Gadd and Billy

Cobham, all drummers Jack DeJohnette, every drummer

that used to come by, ’cause you’ve always got something to

learn.”

Is it hard to get into the drumming session scene in

Jamaica?

“Well, it’s like I play 90% of the tunes that come out of Jamai-

ca. Sometimes I even go and overdub some drums that

other drummers have played on. So I would say it’s hard.

Me and the producers move good. I give them some good

ideas, and they suggest certain things to me, they say "Try

itl”. It’s just understanding each other. So, I move good with

everyone and they give me sessions.”

It seems like every era the music changes, the drummers

have changed. You mentioned Lloyd Knibbs — that was ska.

Did he go into rock steady?

“Rock steady, first tune came from Coxsone, that was Bunny

Williams and Fil Callender.”

Of In Crowd fame?

Sly & Robbie - Pic Beth Kingston

“Yeah, then it went into reggae, when you had Hugh Mal-

colm, Winston Grennan, Tinleg and Santa. I was playing for

them times, too, but I was feeling new. The first song I

played on was ’Night Doctor’ Upsetters, Ansell Collins pro-

duction. The second was ’Double Barrel’. That was when I

was fifteen.”

What age did you start at?

“Professionally, fifteen.”

Why do you think that you exploded on the scene in

1974/75?

“I listen to music 24 hours a day, all form of music. I went to

see a movie called ’Soul To Soul’. After I see it, I felt reggae

need something, after the part with the drums and they was

all dancing. If we play regular pattern on the drums, a sort of

African pattern, anything you do on drums is going to be

African — something you can dance to. I get some time from

JoJo. Me and Jo Jo are good friends. And I said I ’ve got this

rhythm I want to do. Anything you want to do with it, you

can do it.”

“So, Ranchie came up with the bass line, and that was right. I

was playing fours, but I didn’t like it. Sol change it about (vo-

cal impression of the intro to ’Right Time’). And so it was re-

corded. And when it was released everybody say it was ef-

fects from the board. But I told them no. Jo Jo started to record

a lot of sound that way. And that’s how the big change came about. 

The whole idea was musicians feel, but nobody wanted to 

take a chance. The only way to prove it to them, was to take some

time and do it.”

Up until then it seemed like it was mainly the producer who

dictated what the sound was going to be. Now, with your-

self, a drummer coming in and saying, I’m going to do this

sound, have you changed it?

“Well, sometimes you have to do what the producers say.

But now he listens more to the musicians’ suggestions.”

You’ve got this new sound Bouncers’; can you see any

other sounds coming?

“Some of the tunes thatl played on a long time ago. Some of

them have just been released. Some of them haven’t. The

Wailing Souls ’War In The East, War In The East’ (’War’),

that’s in a different style. And that was the only song I did till

now in that style.”

’Bredda Gravalicious’ from the Wailing Souls has an unu-

sual drum sound, how did you get that?

“What I did was to work two drum in. I use two snare all the

time I’m recording.”

lt’s very similar to the drum on metal sound that Lee Perry

has used. Mention of Scratch brings another tune to mind.

“You remember ’Police And Thieves’, I played on that. With

that I had to rough it up to get the feel.”

Lee Perry uses Michael Richards a lot, doesn’t he?

“Well, sometimes when Mike is off, I play for him. But if I were

in Jamaica now, I would be booked for a full week. So if he

wanted me now, he would have to book me last week, for

maybe next week.”

ALBUMS SLY DUNBAR

Skin Flesh & Bones

Fighting Dub

Jama

(1975) UK

Revolutionaries

Vital Dub

Virgin

(1976) UK

Go Deh Wid Riddim

Crystal

(1977) Ja

Simple Sly Man

Front Line

(1978) UK

Sly Wicked & Slick

Front Line

(1979) UK

Disco Dub

Gorgon

(1979) Ja

Gamblers Choice

Taxi

(1980) Ja

Raiders Of The Lost Dub

Island

(1981) UK

Sly-Go-Ville

Island

(1982) UK

Rebel Soldier

Taxi

(1983) UK

A Dub Experience

Island

(1 985) UK

Language Barrier

Island

(1985) UK

Electro Reggae

Island

(1986) UK

Sly & Robbie

Productions

Black Uhuru

Sinsemilla

Taxi

(1980) Ja

Gregory Isaacs

Showcase

Taxi

(1980) UK

Jimmy Riley

Rydim Driven

Island

(1982) UK

Ini Kamoze

Ini Kamoze

Island

(1984) UK

Dennis Brown

Brown Sugar

Taxi

(1986) Ja

Sugar Minott

Sugar & Spice

Taxi

(1986) Ja

Various Artists

Presenting Taxi

Island

( 1981) UK

Crucial Reggae

Island

(1984) UK

Taxi Wax

Taxi '

(1984) Ja

Unmetered Taxi

Taxi

(1984) Ja

Taxi Gang

Taxi

(1984) J a