This Day in Music

January 27th

A stone-cold classic to discuss, sad news from late last night, and Elvis is heartbroken, on this day in music.

Breaking News - In Memoriam

January 26, 2026: Multiple Grammy-nominated and two-time Grammy-winning Jamaican drummer Sly Dunbar died at his home in Kingston. He was 73 years old. Though no cause of death was revealed, Sly had been suffering from an undisclosed illness for some time.

You might not know Sly’s name, but you’ve most likely heard music on which he was the drummer. A minuscule sampling of the artists he played with over the course of his 56-year career performing reggae and reggae-influenced pop include: Jimmy Cliff, Ziggy Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones, Serge Gainsbourg, Jackson Browne, Bootsy Collins, Grace Jones, Yoko Ono, Sinéad O’Connor, and dozens of others.

Influenced by legendary Jamaican drummers Lloyd Knibb of The Skatalites and Carlton Barrett of The Wailers, Sly carved out his own unique style and became evolutionary in reggae drumming for eschewing the looser traditional feel for a tighter and more technical approach. Though he still played the famous “one-drop” rhythm invented by Barrett, he would also showcase powerful straight quarter notes on the bass drum, known as the “rockers” style. Moving between clever interplay on the snare and hi-hat to forceful rimshot backbeats, he was a nuanced player with great touch.

For a few samples of Sly’s magic, listen to the songs “Steppin’ Razor” by Peter Tosh, “Tight Connection to My Heart (Has Anybody Seen My Love)” and “Don’t Fall Apart on Me Tonight” by Bob Dylan, “Money’s Too Tight (To Mention)” by Simply Red, and “World a Music” by Ini Kamoze.

Along with his bass-playing partner, Robbie Shakespeare, they became the go-to rhythm section for reggae and pop musicians, and were known affectionately as the “Riddim Twins.” They also made 30 of their own albums together under the name Sly & Robbie.

Sly won the Grammy award for Best Album in 1999 for Sly & Robbie’s “Friends,” and another Best Album award with Black Uhuru for the record “Anthem” in 1985. It is estimated that he appears on over 200,000 recordings!

RIP Sly Dunar.

Releases

1970: Legendary Northern Irish singer-songwriter Sir George Ivan Morrison, OBE, otherwise known as Van Morrison, releases his third studio album, the gloriously soulful masterpiece, “Moondance.”

Following the critical acclaim, but commercial failure, of his delightfully eclectic previous album, “Astral Weeks,” Morrison sought solace in the summer of 1969 in a bucolic environment, relocating with his wife to New York’s Catskills mountains near Woodstock to begin work on songs for a new record. He had hoped to meet Bob Dylan and become friends, Dylan being the only contemporary Van considered worthy of his attention, but Dylan had already left Woodstock, returning to Greenwich Village on Manhattan’s lower west side. Morrison eventually chose to leave Woodstock after the eponymous music and arts fair brought an influx of people to the community.

Writing and producing himself, he chose to more fully compose his songs, abandoning the abstract jazz-folk stylings of “Astral Weeks” for a peppier mood that combined R&B and rock with Irish folk, soul, pop, and jazz. Opting for a new band for the new direction, he put together the group that performs on the album with session musicians he met through the recording studio, A & R Recording Inc., in New York, after dismissing all of the musicians he employed for “Astral Weeks.” The talented new players brought the music to life, which he purposely wrote to please his audience, remarking, ‘I make albums primarily to sell them and if I get too far out a lot of people can’t relate to it.’

The lyrics of “Moondance” were also a departure from “Astral Weeks,” with Van abandoning the stream-of-consciousness narrative of the prior work for poetically structured verses about romantic love, self-affirmation, music, nature, and themes of spiritual renewal and redemption.

Morrison entered the studio with only the basic song structures scripted out, and the arrangements entirely committed to memory, developing the compositions throughout the recording process. With help from pianist Jef Labes, and woodwind players Jack Schroer and Collin Tilton, he was able to write charts for the woodwinds, horns, and rhythm sections to read.

The process was a success, with the album producing 10 fabulous tracks, including the enduring classics, “Into the Mystic,” “And It Stoned Me,” “These Dreams of You,” and the Billboard hits, “Crazy Love,” “Come Running,” and “Moondance.”

The album received immediate and widespread acclaim from critics, with Christgau’s Record Guide grading it A+, and both AllMusic and The Rolling Stone Record Guide rating it 5-Stars. Reaching Platinum certification in the UK, and 3x Platinum in the US, it was thankfully the commercial success that the label, Warner Bros., was expecting, and solidified Morrison’s career. It has sold nearly four million copies worldwide.

The Daily Elvis

1956: RCA Records releases what would become an historic single, “Heartbreak Hotel” by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden. The performer of course was the future King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

Pictured: Sly Dunbar in the studio, c. 2000.