Two of Jamaica’s top bass gamers, Robbie Shakespeare – a person half of the prolific ‘riddim twins’ Sly and Robbie – and Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, have been named amongst a Best fifty record of greatest bassists from throughout the world. The fifty Best Bassists of All Time record, compiled by the prestigious Rolling Stone magazine, sees the Jamaicans appearing at variety 17 and variety 28, respectively.
When The Gleaner achieved out to the Grammy award-successful Robbie Shakespeare, he reported he was humbled by the recognition, “Bwoy, I respect the simple fact that many others wanting in can see what we are carrying out for the new music. This helps make me truly feel like a infant.” The A-lister, whose fingers have lovingly stroked the chords on quite a few hit tracks for artistes, including Gwen Guthrie, Grace Jones, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Bob Dylan and Peter Tosh, spoke passionately of the benefit of challenging work, though subtly throwing shade at the ‘entitlement’ society.
“No make a difference how a lot people today hail Sly and Robbie as the legends, and even with two Grammy wins and eleven nominations, we in no way at any time truly feel like just about anything we get in everyday living we need to get it. There have been a good deal of sleepless evenings, and ‘eatless’ evenings, as well. Nuff time we go to bed hungry, so we remember these items and just take stock. There are so quite a few other terrific bassists out there who they could have decided on, and nevertheless they chose me and I am grateful,” Robbie Shakespeare informed The Gleaner.
Not the 1st accolade
This is not his 1st chunk of the cherry as regards Best fifty listing. Ideal just after leaving Peter Tosh to participate in bass for Black Uhuru back in the working day, he captured the variety 3 situation on a Best fifty compiled by a established of new music critics primarily based in England. Robbie reported that for the Rolling Stone report, he was given a heads-up when he received an e-mail from a get hold of in France inquiring him to do the job interview. “I built absolutely sure to convey to them about the other terrific bass gamers in Jamaica, like Lloyd Parks, Val Douglas and Jackie Jackson. They reported ‘who are these fellas?’ And I replied, ‘Google them’.”
When requested to identify some of his favourite parts that he has performed on above the several years, Robbie as a substitute, genuine to his nature, performed ‘Mr Good Guy’. He was fairly ecstatic that fellow bassist, Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett, who he generally describes as his mentor, also built the Best fifty. He sums up his respect for Family members Guy in a 2009 Fog Metropolis Journal job interview in this way: “Well … what can I say? He is the guy (laughter). Just the way the guy performs the bass, you know. There are gunfighters and there are gunfighters, witnessed? I can not convey to you absolutely nothing much more. He is a master for me. I have had assist and influences from other people today, but I have to give it typically to Family members Guy.”
Robbie is hoping that this accolade will assist to inspire youthful generation of bass gamers who glimpse up to him. “It’s all about supplying your all to a little something that you adore. Getting regular in looking for generally to excel and using pitfalls creatively. At the stop of the working day, we all require to realise that God place us below on Earth to do a work, and we will do it for as long as God desires us to do it,” he concluded.
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