Dennis Bovell

Dennis Bovell

Dennis Bovell is a reggae guitarist, bass player and record producer, born in 1953 in Saint Peter. He moves to England with his family at the age of 12 and becomes part of the London reggae scene. He works in soul and reggae, and is associated with dub and reggae as well as British-based West Indies music traditions.

Career

Bovell is a member of Matumbi, Poet and the Roots, The 4th Street Orchestra, The Dub Band and BBC. He releases dub and reggae records under his own name and also uses the name Blackbeard. He produces and plays across a wide range of projects, and his work places him among the key figures in British reggae.

Style and influence

He is widely credited as one of the inventors of lover's rock, the reggae style associated with light, romantic songs. He also experiments with combining disco rhythms and reggae, and his recording of Janet Kay's "Silly Games" is a notable example of this approach.

Collaborations and production work

Bovell produces albums for artists including I-Roy, The Thompson Twins, The Pop Group and The Slits. He also works for much of his career with dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.