On 27th September 1953, Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare, bass guitarist and record producer for the iconic Jamaican reggae duo, Sly and Robbie, also known as “the rhythm twins,” was born in East Kingston, Jamaica, into a musical family.
A Love for Music from an Early Age
Robbie, who said he has loved music since birth, began playing the guitar during practice sessions for his brother Lloyd’s band, The Emotions. “There were two guitars, sometimes three, and anyone could pick one up and start playing. I would do the same thing every day and fell in love with it,” he recalled in an interview for The South Bank Show in 2016.
Influence of Aston “Family Man” Barrett
Although Shakespeare initially experimented with acoustic guitar and drums, he became captivated by the bass guitar after hearing Aston “Family Man” Barrett play at a rehearsal. “I thought, wow! You have to teach me how to play that,” he said. Barrett became his de facto teacher. “Every day, he would wake me up and show me something new,” Robbie said of Barrett’s mentorship.
The Meeting of Sly and Robbie
It was during a session at the Skin, Flesh, and Bone club in the mid-1970s that Robbie met drummer Sly Dunbar. Robbie recalls thinking, “Hmm, this drummer is incredible, I’m going to work with him.” At the time, Robbie was assembling a band for a Peter Tosh tour and invited Sly to be the drummer.
Eventually, the two formed the legendary duo, Sly and Robbie, affectionately known as the “rhythm twins.” They would go on to become Jamaica’s most prolific musicians, both in reggae and beyond.
A Musical Legacy Spanning Genres
According to Robbie, the dynamic and radically innovative pair participated in over 200,000 recordings, either playing, producing, or collaborating with some of the biggest names in music across multiple genres. These include Sinead O’Connor, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Paul McCartney, Carlos Santana, Fela Kuti, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Jimmy Cliff, and Peter Tosh, among others.
Their sound revolutionised reggae by infusing it with bold elements of rock, blues, and jazz, paving the way for new reggae styles like dancehall, which emerged in the late 1970s and early ’80s. Their collaborations with rock musicians led them to blend rock’s syncopation with reggae’s one-drop beat, and they were among the first musicians to use electronic drum machines.
Grammy Recognition and Awards
Sly & Robbie received their first Grammy nomination in 1984, the same year the Reggae category was introduced. Since then, they have been nominated 13 times, winning two: first in 1985 for producing the Black Uhuru album Anthem, and again in 1999 for their own album Friends.
In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked Robbie Shakespeare 17th on its list of the greatest bassists of all time.
Robert Shakespeare passed away in December 2021 at the age of 68, following kidney surgery. He is survived by his wife, Marian, and their son, Mikiel.
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