Blurb:

When Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, new drummer and bassist on the
scene, began to work as a team around 1974, no one, not even they, could have
imagined the incredible success they would have. They would become the biggest
backing band in reggae history, playing on thousands of records by a myriad
of artists. They would become bandleaders, producers, dub-masters and label
owners. They would help launch Peter Tosh’s international solo career. They
would push the boundaries of reggae as members of Black Uhuru, recording
cutting-edge reggae, touring and performing for fans around the world. Amassing
an unprecedented résumé for reggae musicians, they would work with such
non-reggae stars as The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Ian Dury, Grace Jones, Joan
Armatrading, Gilberto Gil, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Cindy Lauper, Ben Harper,
Joe Cocker, Simply Red, Carly Simon, Tricky, Doug E. Fresh, Michael Franti, No
Doubt, Carlos Santana, Sinéad O’Connor and others. No major talent in reggae
goes without the accolade of a nickname, and they would be called “the riddim
twins” or “Drumbar and Basspeare”. They would enjoy the additional accolade of
being the only reggae rhythm section ever to be sung about in a chart-topping
American single. In an unusual tribute, ‘Genius Of Love’, a 1981 single by the
Talking Heads spin-off group Tom Tom Club, contained a couplet that not only
name-checks Bob Marley, but credits Sly & Robbie with expanding the sound of
reggae. It’s even followed by an imitation of Sly’s one-handed snare rolls. All in
all, not bad for a couple of kids from Kingston.