He had collaborated with all the major figures of reggae then with many pop stars: the legendary Jamaican bassist Robbie Shakespeare, who formed with Sly Dunbar the legendary duo Sly and Robbie, died at the age of 68, a Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange announced Thursday.
According to the Jamaican newspaper The GleanerRobbie Shakespeare died in Florida where he was hospitalized with kidney problems.
Born September 27, 1953 in Kingston, he had learned to play bass with Aston Barrett, one of the future members of the Wailers who accompanied Bob Marley. He then founded in the mid-1970s with Sly Dunbar one of the most famous accompaniment duets in reggae music, then became a successful producer.
The duo have collaborated with Jamaican reggae greats like Black Uhuru, Wailers co-founder Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, or rub-a-dub legends U-Roy and Lee “Scratch” Perry, who died in February. and last August.
At the dawn of the 1980s, their talent went beyond the borders of the Caribbean island and they collaborated with artists from all over the world: Grace Jones, Bob Dylan, Madonna, No Doubt, the Rolling Stones but also Serge Gainsbourg, whom they accompanied. for his album To arms and so on, or Princess Erika.
“This fantastic team took bass and drums to the next level making music for themselves as a band and for many artists, both national and international.“, greeted Jamaican Minister Olivia Grange.
In 1984, the Black Uhuru album Anthem, which he produced, won the first Grammy award for reggae music. Sly and Robbie also triumphed at the Grammys with their album Friends in 1998. Last year, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him 17th on the list of best bassists in history.