KINGSTON: Musician Garth Dennis, who helped pioneer the electronic and eco-driven style of reggae in the 1980s as a leader of the band Black Uhuru, has died, according to his former bandmates. He was 72 years old.
The cause of death could not be immediately ascertained.
Born Rudolph Dennis in Kingston in 1949, he spent most of his youth in Trench Town – a neighborhood known as the birthplace of reggae and rocksteady music.
There, he befriended future reggae greats including Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston.
In the late 1960s, Dennis began working with musicians Don Carlos and Duckie Simpson, who would go on to form Black Uhuru.
The group, whose name refers to the Swahili word for freedom, broke up after their first single flopped. Dennis spent nearly a decade with the Welling Souls reggae band before returning to Black Uhuru in the 1980s.
“RIP Rudolph (Garth) Dennis, our childhood friend and musical brother,” Welling Souls wrote on their Facebook page. “Our condolences to his wife, his children, all his family and friends. You are gone but will not be forgotten.”
Dennis’ return to Black Uhuru came while the group was forming a relationship with producers Sly and Robbie, who helped them establish a style of heavy drum and bass lines, fast guitar riffs, and electronic and echo influences.
The group won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Reggae Recording for the album “Anthem” in 1984, and was nominated for an additional seven awards during their career.
Their 1989 album Red was ranked as one of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.
He gained widespread acclaim for tracks such as “Spongy Reggae”, which appeared on the 1980s sit-com The Cosby Show, and “Shine I Gal”, featuring The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.
Black Uhuru toured the world, opening for the Rolling Stones and The Police, and even appeared in Broadway musicals.
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