In 1981, after Bob Marley’s death, drum-and-bass duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare — who had assumed the semi-retired Coxsone Dodd’s mantle — invited Dennis Brown into the studio, the Guardian records. The relationship had already begun. Brown told Reggae Vibes how it started: “Sly and Robbie were getting their Taxi label together so we decided to jam and see what we come up with. And the first thing we come up with was ‘Sitting And Watching’.”
One take on a Sunday
The song was the result of an accident. Brown was passing through the studio one Sunday, dropping off a friend, when he saw Sly and Robbie working. “I have this little thing here,” he said — found a vibe and started singing. “We just went straight in and recorded it — one take.” The single was issued on Taxi (TAXI 004) in 1979 and later appeared on Island’s 1981 compilation Sly and Robbie Present Taxi, Wikipedia notes — alongside tracks from Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru, Junior Delgado and the Wailing Souls.
A family of musicians
After “Sitting and Watching,” Brown and the rhythm section cut “Have You Ever Been in Love,” “Hold On to What You Got” and “Revolution,” the Reggae Vibes interview records. Brown described the working relationship as familial: “We, as musicians, are like family and working together, we have good vibes.” Brown Sugar (Taxi LP 004, 1986) compiled seven superb hits from the period — including “Revolution Part One,” “Have You Ever,” “Sitting and Watching” and “All Over the World” — Roots Archives and AllMusic note. The 1980s also brought digital-era albums Slow Down (Prince Jammy, 1985), Wake Up and the mega-hit duet “Big All Round” with Gregory Isaacs.
Why it matters
While Brown’s A&M period drew mixed reviews, his Taxi work kept him on Jamaican radio and dancehall floors through the rise of DJs. Sly & Robbie gave him rhythms that were pop enough for export and roots enough for Kingston — the same balance Marley had perfected, now in the hands of reggae’s next generation of producers.
Listen and dig deeper
- Play Brown Sugar and Revolution in the Listen library. Browse Dennis Brown and Sly & Robbie.
- Previously: “Money in My Pocket” (1979). Next: Grammy nomination for Light My Fire (1994).
Sources: The Guardian — “Dennis Brown” (Dotun Adebayo, Jul 2, 1999); Reggae Vibes — “Dennis Brown: The Prophet Rides Again! (The Interview)”; Wikipedia — Sly and Robbie Present Taxi; Roots Archives — Brown Sugar (1986); AllMusic — Dennis Brown biography.
Editor’s note: This entry is part of the JamaicansMusic online museum — a career timeline assembled from the archive. It is dated to the era it documents; every claim is drawn from the linked sources.