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R.I.P. Robbie Shakespeare


Robbie Shakespeare was a Bass player and one half of the legendary drum and bass and production duo Sly and Robbie with drummer Sly Dunbar.
Taught to play bass by the great Aston “family man” Barrett of Wailers fame, Shakespeare played in many top reggae session bands from The Hippy Boys, The Upsetters, The Aggrovators to The Revolutionaries backing many leading reggae artists and as the duo of Sly and Robbie, with their independent production company and label Taxi Records, they worked with artists such as U Roy, Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru and many more.
Their success and recognition led to them working outside of the reggae genre with artists such as Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Cindy Lauper and Grace Jones.
Shakespeare will be remembered as one of the greatest and most influential bass players in reggae music.
His death was announced on the 8th December following kidney surgery in Florida. He was 68.
Rest easy Robbie, your music lives on for ever.

Robin Campbell UB40