Members of the British reggae band, Steel Pulse.
The British-based reggae band Steel Pulse has paid tribute to Sly Dunbar, considered Jamaica’s “greatest drummer,” who died at his home in Jamaica Monday morning, Jan. 26. He was 73.
“Your passing cuts deep, not just as a musician, but as a brother whose heartbeat helped shape the very pulse of reggae music,” said Steel Pulse’s David R. Hinds in a social media post. “From the early days, your drums spoke a language older than words. They carried the wisdom of the ancestors, the struggle of the people, and the joy that refuses to die.
“You didn’t just keep time — you taught the world how one could travel without losing his soul,” he added. “’Sly & Robbie’ was more than a rhythm section; they became a foundation, a force, a reminder that innovation and tradition can walk together in truth.
“Every kick, every snare, every space he left — that was knowledge, that was discipline, that was spirit,” Hinds continued. “On this journey, we shared more than stages and studios; we shared purpose. The belief that music must mean something, must stand for something, must lift people higher than where they are standing.”
He said Dunbar’s drums “always carried that mission — steady; innovative; uncompromising.
“Today, the silence feels heavy,” Hinds said. “But there is no silence where Sly Dunbar is concerned. His rhythms live on in the blood of reggae, in every young drummer who finds courage through his patterns, in every song that still moves the world forward.
“Rest well, brother,” he added. “Give thanks for your life, your strength, your contribution. You have done your work with honor. The beat shall continue — because of you. RIP, RIP.”
Simply Red, the British pop and soul band, also called Dunbar, “Jamaica’s greatest drummer.”
“I liked him as a person and admired him enormously as a musician,” said one of Simple Red’s musicians in a Facebook post. “I have so many of his recordings. It was an honor and a joy to work with him and Robbie Shakespeare.
He added, “Sly and Robbie remain Jamaica’s greatest rhythm section.”
According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, Lowell Fillmore “Sly” Dunbar (born May 10, 1952; died Jan. 26, 2026) was “a Jamaican drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie.”
Born in Kingston on May 10, 1952, drummer Sly Dunbar began playing music at age 15 and made his first recording appearance on Dave and Ansell Collins’ Double Barrel. He later joined the band Skin, Flesh and Bones, where he met bassist Robbie Shakespeare in 1972, forming a partnership that became one of reggae’s most influential duos. The pair worked closely with Peter Tosh through 1981, recording five albums, and in 1980 launched Taxi Records, which has produced successful releases by major artists including Black Uhuru, Chaka Demus and Pliers, Ini Kamoze, Beenie Man, and Red Dragon.
Wikipedia said Dunbar played drums on several noteworthy tracks produced by Lee Perry, including “Night Doctor”, Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves”, and Bob Marley’s “Punky Reggae Party” 12″ track (“although the track was produced by Perry, Dunbar’s drum track was actually recorded at Joe Gibbs Duhaney Park studio”).
Sly and Robbie also contributed to Bob Dylan’s Infidels and Empire Burlesque albums, according to Wikipedia.
It said other sessions included their appearances on three Grace Jones albums and work with Herbie Hancock, Joe Cocker, Serge Gainsbourg, and the Rolling Stones.
In 2008, Wikipedia said Dunbar collaborated with the Jamaican percussionist Larry McDonald on McDonald’s debut album Drumquestra.
It said Dunbar appeared in the 2011 documentary Reggae Got Soul: The Story of Toots and the Maytals, which was featured on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and described as “The untold story of one of the most influential artists ever to come out of Jamaica.”
Wikipedia said Dunbar was a 13-time GRAMMY nominee.
It said he received two GRAMMY awards: the 1985 GRAMMY for Best Reggae Recording for the Black Uhuru album Anthem, for which Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare were producers, and one for the 1999 Best Reggae Album GRAMMY award for the Sly & Robbie album entitled Friends.
The Jamaica Gleaner described Dunbar as a “drummer extraordinaire and co-founder of the revolutionary Taxi Records label.”
“About 7 o’clock this morning, I went to wake him up, and he wasn’t responding,” Dunbar’s wife, Thelma, told the publication. “I called the doctor, and that was the news.”
According to the paper, Dunbar had been ill for some time and was being treated by doctors both at home and overseas.