
Robbie Shakespeare performing with Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang at the Beacon Theater in New York City on October 7, 1988.
Remembering the bass-playing genius whose work with Sly and Robbie pioneered dub and dancehall, and whose inimitable “riddim” graced crossover hits by a who’s-who of music legends.
On December 8, 2021, we lost iconic bass player and producer Robbie Shakespeare, and it’s a loss that will be felt far beyond the reggae community where he got his start. The unexpected death occurred following surgery undertaken to remedy issues related to kidney function.
As a kid growing up in a small town in Sweden, I shared a bedroom wall with my older brother in the next room over. The wall blocked out most of the music, but the bass lines came through loud and clear. He listened to quite a bit of reggae, so naturally I was exposed to the music of Peter Tosh and Black Uhuru. Their music made me feel something deeper, more aggressive, and very, very heavy in intention compared to what I felt from other music vibrating through that wall. Hearing and feeling those sub hooks was a transformative, visceral experience. What I didn’t know then was that I was feeling the inimitable bass playing of Robbie Shakespeare, who had a musical fingerprint like no other.
It is virtually impossible for anyone exposed to popular culture over the last 40 years to have escaped the impact of Shakespeare’s playing, production, and songwriting. And the legacy he leaves behind is in large part a result of him finding his musical soul mate, drummer Sly Dunbar, at an early stage of his career. Their chemistry is so infectious that artists in many genres have tapped into the magical river of groove—the “riddim”—that the duo created together. For his part, Shakespeare broke the mold for what reggae bass could be many times over, using a more aggressive attack, a sometimes-brighter sound, and an overall unconventional sonic approach. He was a true musical renaissance man, someone who never took the safe route to creating, and who trusted in the magical powers of simplicity, endless repetition, and space. In doing so, he was instrumental in creating the now-prolific reggae subgenres dub and dancehall.
Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare was born September 27, 1953, in Kingston, Jamaica, into a family where living-room jam sessions were commonplace. Naturally, he couldn’t help but be influenced by the sounds of Kingston all around him, but Shakespeare also simultaneously subsisted on a steady diet of great American music from the Motown and Stax record labels, as well as Philadelphia soul and country. He started playing acoustic guitar and drums early on, but everything changed when he heard local bass legend Aston “Family Man” Barrett—who played with both Lee “Scratch” Perry and the Hippy Boys, and was bandleader for Bob Marley’s band, the Wailers, from 1970 until the reggae icon died in 1981. Shakespeare immediately knew he wanted to learn how to play bass, and implored Barrett to be his teacher. Barrett agreed, and one of the most diverse and productive bass and production careers in music got its start. When Barrett later left for a Wailers tour, Shakespeare took his place in the Hippy Boys.
Robbie Shakespeare onstage with reggae legend Peter Tosh in 1978.
Photo by Tim Duncan
The tremendous legacy and sheer number of head-bobbing tracks Shakespeare leaves behind is largely due to his long stints in legendary studio house bands. Dunbar and Shakespeare were hired to play in the Revolutionaries house band at Channel One Studios in Kingston a short time after they discovered their magical connection. During this period, the duo spawned the heavily syncopated so-called rockers reggae feel, which continued the evolution of the earlier one drop rhythm. The next genre-bending house band that Sly and Robbie (as the legendary rhythm section started calling themselves) were part of was the Compass Point All Stars in Nassau, Bahamas. The idea to utilize Dunbar and Shakespeare in this capacity came from Island Records owner Chris Blackwell, who was exposed to Shakespeare’s bass playing during Robbie’s high-profile association with reggae legends Black Uhuru in the late ’70s. Blackwell envisioned marrying the feel of the most prolific, groundbreaking rhythm sections from Jamaica with major artists from the United States and Europe. The first project to feature this revolutionary new sound was Grace Jones’ 1981 LP, Nightclubbing. Shakespeare’s contributions to other seminal pop and rock recordings include lines on tracks by Bob Dylan, Madonna, Sinead O’Connor, Mick Jagger, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, Joe Cocker, Marianne Faithful, and many others.
But Shakespeare and his ever-present musical partner, Sly Dunbar, soon took more creative control of their genre-bending deep grooves as a production team. The duo was known for their creative use of effects, as well as for adapting drum machines at an early stage. Their work on Black Uhuru’s Anthem album earned them a Grammy award in 1985, and their second came in 2001 for their own Sly and Robbie solo album Friends. In addition, Sly and Robbie’s production work spawned a long string of radio staples where their wide-ranging influences are on full display. A great example is the No Doubt album Rock Steady, which features dance-floor mainstays “Hey Baby,” “Hella Good,” and the smash ballad “Underneath It All.”
Perhaps Shakespeare’s true legacy is one of a deep musical kinship. He’s been heard to say that, even on the first day of a family vacation, he thought about being in the studio, making music with his best friend. Shakespeare estimated that the longest he and Sly were physically apart during their decades of seemingly limitless output was three weeks. And their passion for creation was fruitful right up to the late, great bassist’s passing. Robbie Shakespeare was a man made of music, made of “riddim,” and that will endure. In 2008, he told Red Bull Music Academy, “Anyone who wants to stay together a long time, just respect each other’s views, try this, try that, some go through, some don’t. But we never get in the way of each other’s personal life, never. Music will always live forever before us, after us.”
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Ernie Ball, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium guitar strings and accessories, proudly announces the launch of the all-new Earthwood Bell Bronze acoustic guitar strings. Developed in close collaboration with Grammy Award-winning guitarist JohnMayer, Bell Bronze strings are engineered to meet Mayer’s exacting performance standards, offering players a bold new voice for their acoustic guitars.Crafted using a proprietary alloy inspired by the metals traditionally found in bells and cymbals, Earthwood Bell Bronze strings deliver a uniquely rich, full-bodied tone with enhanced clarity, harmonic content, and projection—making them the most sonically complex acoustic strings in the Ernie Ball lineup to date.
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Milkman’s Jerry Garcia-style JG-40 combo.
Grateful Dead-inspired gear from Milkman and Scarlet Fire helps to keep the guitarist’s sound alive.
Guitar players wanting to catch the Grateful Dead’s particular lightning in a bottle exist along a spectrum. Some are content to take inspiration from Jerry Garcia’s playing but make their own way regarding guitar choice and signal path. Others strive to emulate Garcia’s sonic decisions down to the most minor details and create signal paths as close to Jerry’s as possible. In recent years, an ecosystem of gear has developed around fostering Jerry Garcia’s electric tone, including everything from guitars, amps, and stompboxes to on-board preamps and speakers.
Entire books about the Grateful Dead’s gear have been written, so we can’t cover it all here. Garcia tinkered with all facets of his sound from about 1971 until 1978, when his signal path reached stability. By then, his On-Board Effects Loop—an innovation he developed to control how much signal reached his effects—was dialed in, his backline firm, and his choice of effects pedals solidified. Even then, adjustments were made, especially when MIDI arrived or when technology like in-ear monitoring was used. Here are some basics.
Scarlet Fire’s recreation of Garcia’s Wolf, originally built by Doug Irwin.
It starts with guitars. For players wanting to get their Jerry on, there’s a wide range of Garcia-esque instruments—with just as wide a range of prices—out there. Recreations of the Doug Irwin guitars and the Fender Alligator Strat abound. China-built models from companies likePhred Instruments can go for as little as $700 or so. Luthier Thomas Lieber apprenticed with Irwin long ago, and his Lieber Guitars will deliver a copy of a variety of Garcia models. Leo Elliott’sScarlet Fire Guitars out of Dallas, Texas, takes things in another direction. Elliott builds Doug Irwin replicas that start at $20,000 and go up from there, with a current wait time of about 18 months for an instrument. He’s outfitted many of the top Garcia guitarists today, including Tom Hamilton Jr. and Jeff Mattson. Elliott says, “I’m a self-taught luthier; I didn’t really build my first guitar until 2010. I understood a little bit about woodworking before I got started, but I learned by reading books and through trial and error. I started building replicas of Doug Irwin’s Wolf guitar right away, which is sort of like building a car and starting with a Ferrari. I didn’t know any better. Then, eventually I got to know Doug Irwin and collaborated with him. So, I got to hold Garcia’s Tiger guitar and get to know it really well, and by 2015, I had built replicas of that guitar. There’s one guy who helps me around the shop, but otherwise, I am building these guitars on my own. I’m collaborating with Doug Irwin on a new series of Tiger guitars, which will retail for 50 grand each.” That’s one way to get your Jerry going.
The JBL-inspired Milkman K-120.
Garcia’s choice of amplifiers is another matter. He preferred Fender Twin Reverbs loaded with JBL Alnico speakers, which were popular amongst many rock bands in the 1970s. The details get complicated; Garcia’s amps were heavily modified, and the Fender Twin served as a preamp that ran to a McIntosh MC-3500 power amp.
It’s hard to find vintage JBL speakers today—at least ones in good shape. San Francisco’s Milkman Sound, founded by Tim Marcus, has created a faithful reproduction of those classic JBLsthey call the K-120. They’re coupling those speakers with a Garcia-style recreation of his Fender Twin that Marcus named the JG-40. “I think 75 percent of Jerry’s tone is in the JBL speakers,” Milkman’s founder says. “But when you start to analyze the other 25 percent, you kind of have to start withDon Rich. [Editor’s Note: Rich was the guitar player in Buck Owens’ band, pioneers of the Bakersfield Sound.] That’s Jerry’s tone, too, but the difference is Garcia’s midrange was a bit throatier. It sounds clean, but really, it’s not clean at the same time. Especially his tone in the late ’70s. There is something about running that Fender Twin Reverb through the McIntosh that would just completely blow out the tone in a really interesting way.”
Garcia colored his tone with off-the-shelf effects. This was, after all, long before the days of boutique pedals. By 1978 and beyond, you’d hear him playing through an MXR Distortion+, an MXR Analog Delay, and an MXR Phase 100. He often used auto wahs, preferring the Musitronics Mu-Tron envelope filter as well as a Mu-Tron Octave Divider and a Mu-Tron combination volume and wah pedal.
When I asked Jeff Mattson, Bella Rayne, and Tom Hamilton Jr. exactly how orthodox they are about using the kind of gear that Garcia did, I got three different answers.
Mattson tells me that because Dark Star Orchestra is doing something very specific, he really has to tailor his sound as carefully to Garcia’s as he can. “Some folks get too hung up on small things, like what kind of cable to use and things like that, and I don’t go that far. But it’s important for Dark Star Orchestra to get Jerry’s sound right because we are covering different eras and different shows. In 2022, for example, we went to Europe and recreated shows from the Dead’s famous Europe ’72 tour, so you have to pay close attention to what kind of gear they were using to do that right.”
Hamilton works differently. He’s always preferred a higher-gain signal than Garcia ever did, landing in more of a British or heavy metal tone. (Randy Rhoads was a big influence.) “I’ve always approached it like, ‘What’s the new information we can put into this thing?’” he says. “Not just recreate but pushing in a forward direction. And anytime I’ve played with the guys who played with Garcia back in the day, they always said to me, ‘You’re here because you’re here. Don’t try and do what we did back in 1978 or do it because Garcia did it that way.’ They’ve always encouraged me to be myself.”
Bella Rayne is just wrapping her head around what it really means to try to sound like Garcia. “Besides Jerry, I’m influenced by guitarists like Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks, so my tone tends to be a bit heavier and bluesy,” she explains. “I’m generally running a Stratocaster through a Fender Twin Reverb. But recently, I was doing a show, and a buddy of mine set up a Jerry rig for me, and that was so cool: JBL speakers, McIntosh head, the whole setup. I had never played through one. I didn’t know what the hype was all about. I plugged in, and it was just amazing; there was such a snap, and I was really commanding the band. I can see myself keeping my current rig but adding a Dead-rig to experiment. But honestly, anything is fine; I am not picky. I just want to play the best that I can.”
Brent Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ’90s country superstars. So, whether you know it or not, you’ve likely heard Mason’s playing.
Professional transcriber Levi Clay has done the deepest of dives into Brent Mason’s hotshot licks. At one point, he undertook the massive project of transcribing and sharing one of Mason’s solos every day for 85 or so days. Mason is, of course, on of the most recorded guitarists in history, who helped define the sound of most ’90s country superstars. So, whether you know it or not, you’ve likely heard Mason’s playing. Levi shares the insight he gleaned from digging deep, and he tells us what it was like when they shared a stage last year. Plus, Levi plays us some great examples of Mason’s playing.
PRS Guitars today launched five new three-pickup, 22-fret models across the S2 and SE series. The S2 Series release includes the S2 Special Semi-Hollow and S2 Studio, while the SE Series welcomes the SE Special Semi-Hollow, SE Studio, and SE Studio Standard.
“The distinctive pickup configurations of these five guitars deliver a versatile tonal platform, whether you’re exploring subtle textures or pushing the envelope. The deep dive into our Narrowfield technology is obvious with this launch. With both the S2 models made in our Maryland factory and the SE models made in Indonesia, our goal has been to create guitars that will inspire you and spark creativity, all at an exceptional value,” said PRS Guitars COO, Jack Higginbotham.
S2 Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS S2 Special Semi-Hollow features a pair of 58/15 LT humbuckers in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield in the middle. A 5-way blade switch and two mini-toggles allow players to tap the humbuckers, creating twelve distinct pickup combinations for sonic exploration. The carved maple top and mahogany back encompass a semi-hollow body that adds a natural airiness and depth to the guitar’s tone while enhancing sustain.
S2 Studio
The PRS S2 Studio delivers a wide range of sonic possibilities through its distinctive single-single-hum configuration. Featuring two proprietary PRS Narrowfield pickups in the bass and middle positions and a 58/15 LT humbucker in the treble position, the S2 Studio offers a palette of sounds from single-coil clarity to vocal humbucker tones. This model also has a 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control.
SE Special Semi-Hollow
The PRS SE Special Semi-Hollow is designed with the versatility of a hum/“single”/hum setup, bringing PRS’s Narrowfield DD pickup design to the SE Series in a classic maple-top guitar. The semi-hollow construction also enhances sustain and resonance, while the f-hole adds a classic aesthetic. The coil-tap switching system unlocks a wide range of tones through a pair of 58/15 LT “S” pickups in the bass and treble positions and a PRS Narrowfield DD “S” in the middle.
SE Studio
The PRS SE Studio’s “single”/”single”/hum pickup configuration provides a wide range of tonal options. This combination of PRS Narrowfield DD “S” bass and middle pickups with a PRS 58/15 LT “S” treble humbucker offers humbucking warmth, single-coil sparkle, and everything in between. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control further enhance its versatility.
SE Studio Standard
The only bolt-on neck in this release group, the PRS SE Studio Standard brings the tone, playability, and versatility of the Studio model to the SE Series and into an all-mahogany design with a vintage-style pickguard aesthetic. At the heart of the SE Studio Standard is its versatile trio of pickups: an 58/15 LT “S” humbucker in the treble position with two Narrowfield DD “S” pickups in the middle and bass positions. The 5-way blade switch and push/pull tone control allow for an array of pickup configurations.
PRS Guitars continues its schedule of launching new products each month in 2025. Stay tuned to see new gear and 40th Anniversary limited-edition guitars throughout the year.