Angus Gaye (24 September 1959 – 2 September 2022), better known as Drummie Zeb, was a British musician. He was the drummer and vocalist for the reggae band

Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one " Don't ...

, as well as a

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

for other artists.

Early life

Gaye was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 24 September 1959. His parents immigrated to the United Kingdom from Carriacou,

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pet ...

, as part of the Windrush generation. He grew up in the

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given to ...

area of

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North Londo ...

and studied at the Holland Park School in his hometown where he met his future bandmates Tony Robinson and Brinsley Forde. Gaye took an interest in drumming after a cousin, who was a drummer, started living at his family home as a tenant. He would use anything he had at hand to use as a drum. His father bought him his first drum at the age of eight so he would stop damaging family property and Gaye eventually became a kit drummer in the local steelpan band called the "Metronomes".

Career

In 1975, Gaye saw an advertisement for the band

and turned up for the audition, where he was successful in getting the part of the drummer. They became the first British reggae group to sign with an international label, signing up with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...

in 1975. Gaye was the only member who remained a part of the band throughout its existence. As the songs of the band became more commercial-oriented in nature in the 1980s, he started assuming most of the lead vocalist duties and eventually replaced Forde. Aswad gained popularity after the release of their debut single "Back to Africa" in 1976. They followed this up with ''Love Fire'' (1981), '' Rise and Shine'' (1994), which earned a

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nomination for Best Reggae Album, ''Dub: The Next Frontier'' (1995), and '' Cool Summer Reggae'' (2002). Aswad ultimately released 21 albums and received two more Grammy nominations. By 2006, he and Robinson were the only founding members still playing with the group. Aswad released their last album, ''City Lock'', in 2009. Outside of Aswad, Gaye served as a

for Ace of Base whose 1994 rendition of the single " Don't Turn Around" became a global hit, and played what was described by David Katz as a "distinctive drum pattern" in Janet Kay's 1979 single "

Silly Games Silly may refer to: Places * Silly, Belgium, a town * Silly Department, a department or commune of Sissili Province in southern Burkina Faso Music * Silly (band), an East German rock group from the 1970s * The Sillies, an American punk rock ...

" which peaked at number 2 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. He also worked with Sweetie Irie, Joe, Vanessa-Mae, Carroll Thompson and others.

Personal life

Gaye had six children, including Soloman. He died on 2 September 2022, some weeks before his 63rd birthday. The cause of death has not been given.

References

Specific

Bibliography

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zeb, Drummie 1959 births 2022 deaths Musicians from London English reggae musicians Black British musicians English record producers People educated at Holland Park School English people of Grenadian descent English drummers British male drummers 20th-century drummers 20th-century English male singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century drummers 21st-century English singers 21st-century English male singers British reggae singers