SLY Dunbar and Carlton ‘Carly’ Barrett, whose contrasting styles helped define the reggae beat during the 1970s, have been named among ‘The 100 Most Influential Drummers Ever! By the totaldrumsets.com website.
The august list was released last week. It includes drummers from every genre, such as jazz men Max Roach and Buddy Rich; funk master Joseph ‘Zigaboo’ Modeliste; Rhythm and Blues/smooth jazz players Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd as well as hard rock heroes Keith Moon (of The Who) and John Bonham (of Led Zeppelin).
Dunbar’s distinctive tapping sound was the backbone of The Revolutionaries, house band at Channel One during the 1970s.
“He and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are the most celebrated rhythm section and production team in reggae. Somehow, they have managed to mix dancehall and funk, rock and electronica, into the hippest and most infectious mix imaginable. In the course of their playing they have appeared with artistes as diverse as the (Rolling) Stones, Sinead O’ Connor and Bob Dylan,” totaldrumsets.com said of Dunbar, now 62.
Barrett made the One Drop sound (originated by Winston Grennan) famous as a member of The Wailers, Bob Marley’s backing band.
He was murdered in 1987, at age 36.
Totaldrumsets.com also commented on his prowess.
“As drummer with Bob Marley and the Wailers, Carlton’s beat is heard on the best-loved reggae recordings of all time. Relentlessly rehearsed by Marley, the Wailers became an excellent group with Carlton partnering his brother Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett on bass. Carlton’s distinctive broken triplet hi-hat style was copied wholesale by The Police drummer Stewart Copeland.”
–By Howard Campbell
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