May 10, 1952 – January 26, 2026 Interview by Ken Micallef In 2018, MD chatted with the legendary Sly Dunbar about some of his most noteworthy performances, his influences, and quizzed the living legend on the qualities of a serious reggae drum approach. In salute to this riddim innovator, we are reprinting this insightful interview. Sly Dunbar possessed one of the most expansive, eclectic, and revered résumés in reggae history. He won two Grammy’s, was nominated 13 times, and recorded two solo records called Simple Sly Man, and Sly Wicked and Slick. In the ’70s and ’80s, Lowell “Sly” Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare, aka the Riddim Twins, did as much to popularize reggae as other giants of the genre, such as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, the Aggrovators, Black Uhuru, and Third World. Dunbar’s enormous, driving, and insistent groove and Shakespeare’s deep bass support fueled not only the […]

March 2026 Issue