Dennis Bovell is a British Reggae legend.

He was born in Barbados in 1953, and moved to London in 1965. He immersed himself in the London reggae scene, establishing his own sound system and working as a recording engineer, bass player and producer.

His production work help shaped the sound of Lover's Rock happening in London in the late '60s and early ‘70s.

Lovers Rock reggae style is more romantic in sound and content and was popular in London at that time with artists such as Johnny Nash (“I Can See Clearly Now”) from 1972 . 

This style was in contrast to the more politically conscious Rastafarian reggae that would become prominent under Bob Marley at the same time.

Bovell produced and wrote songs for multiple artists including Steel Pulse and co-founded Matumbi -a seven-piece reggae band that would play and record throughout the 1970’s.

Janet Kay’s 1979 hit “Silly Games” written and produced by Bovell was a huge success and really put his writing and production style firmly in the mainstream.

Dennis Bovell played guitar, bass and synthesizer, Drummie Zeb from Aswad played drums and Janet Kay sang.

Embraced by the post punk bands in late 70’s and into the 80’s :  Bovell and dub was an essential influence with John Lydon’s PIL  (especially bass player Jah Wobble) - as well as The Thompson Twins, Bananarama and Orange Juice.

Working with dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson in the 80’s broadened Bovell’s appeal and audience even more.

Production credits and accolades would follow in the intervening years turning on legions of new producers and musicians.

Check out the recently released "The DuBMASTER: The Essential Anthology". 

This is an extensive collection that represents the full scope of Bovell's artistry.

It highlights his Lover's Rock, dub, and roots reggae styles and drawing on some of his best-known hits and unreleased material alike-including material that spans the '70s to the 2020s.

More info here:

https://www.instagram.com/dennisbovell/?hl=en