Drummie Zeb
British reggae musician (1959–2022)
title: "Drummie Zeb" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1959-births", "2022-deaths", "musicians-from-the-royal-borough-of-kensington-and-chelsea", "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-british-drummers", "20th-century-english-male-singers", "20th-century-english-singers", "21st-century-british-drummers", "21st-century-english-singers", "21st-century-english-male-singers", "british-reggae-singers", "singers-from-the-royal-borough-of-kensington-and-chelsea", "people-from-ladbroke-grove"] description: "British reggae musician (1959–2022)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drummie_Zeb" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary British reggae musician (1959–2022) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Drummie Zeb |
| image | Drummie Zeb (2).JPG |
| birth_name | Angus Gaye |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | London, England |
| death_date | |
| children | 6 |
| yearsactive | 1975–2022 |
| module | {{Infobox musical artist |
| occupation | {{flatlist |
| genre | Reggae |
| past_member_of | Aswad |
| :: |
| name = Drummie Zeb | image = Drummie Zeb (2).JPG | caption = | birth_name = Angus Gaye | birth_date = | birth_place = London, England | death_date = | children = 6 | yearsactive = 1975–2022 | module = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes | occupation = {{flatlist|
- Singer
- drummer
- record producer | genre = Reggae | past_member_of = Aswad Angus Gaye (24 September 1959 – 2 September 2022), better known as Drummie Zeb, was an English musician. He was the drummer and vocalist for the reggae band Aswad, as well as a record producer for other artists.
Early life
Gaye was born in London on 24 September 1959. His parents immigrated to the United Kingdom from Carriacou, Grenada, as part of the Windrush generation.
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 Aswad 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 in 1975. Gaye was the only member who remained a part of the band throughout its existence.
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 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 record producer for Ace of Base whose 1994 rendition of the single "Don't Turn Around" became a global hit, He also worked with Sweetie Irie, Joe, Vanessa-Mae, Carroll Thompson and others.
Personal life
Gaye had six children, including Soloman who is also a reggae artist. He died on 2 September 2022 at the age of 62. The cause of death has not been given.
References
Specific
Bibliography
References
- Huey, Steve. "Biography: Aswad". [[All Media Guide.
- Abdul, Geneva. (2 September 2022). "Drummie Zeb, lead singer of UK reggae band Aswad, dies aged 62". The Guardian.
- Pedersen, Erik. (2 September 2022). "Drummie Zeb Dies: Singer For UK Reggae Group Aswad Was 62".
- David Katz. (8 September 2022). "Angus 'Drummie Zeb' Gaye obituary". The Guardian.
- (5 September 2022). "Drummie Zeb obituary". [[The Times]].
- (11 September 2002). "Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture". Routledge.
- Katz, David. (22 September 2011). "Lover's rock: the story of reggae's Motown". The Guardian.
- (2 September 2022). "Aswad singer Drummie Zeb dies". San Francisco Examiner.
- Wilson, Jason. (14 February 2020). "King Alpha's Song in a Strange Land: The Roots and Routes of Canadian Reggae". University of British Columbia Press.
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