With his longtime friend Sly Dunbar on drums, bassist Robbie Shakespeare formed The Riddim Twins, known as the ultimate reggae rhythm section of the last 50 years. His death from kidney problems at the age of 68 last Wednesday in Miami, where he had been living for several years, highlights the pivotal periods that have defined contemporary Jamaican music since the 1970s, of which he was one of the primary architects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a teenager, after trying his hand at guitar and then drums, he developed a fascination with the electric bass sound of Aston \u201cFamily Man\u201d Barrett, then a member of The Hippy Boys, who often hung out in his backyard, adjacent to a ganja distribution center popular with East Kingston musicians. Barrett agreed to teach him his technique, and Shakespeare began accompanying the Barrett brothers, “Fams” and his drummer brother, Carly, in the studio as often as possible, He would set up and take down the drums while observing Barrett\u2019s bass playing. Later in the evening, Fams would teach him more precisely the basslines that had been deployed during the daily session. Around 1972, when Family Man left the Hippy Boys to join the Upsetters, Shakespeare replaced him and also became involved with The Revolutionaries, the house band at the legendary Channel One studio, where he was one of the main architects in developing the Rockers sound. The following year, at the Tit For Tat reggae club, he met drummer Lowell “Sly” Dunbar, got on stage with him for a few songs, and sealed a collaboration that would last for over five decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n