Tribute from Echo Slim

Mr. Bunny Striker Lee is one of the greatest and hardest working producers to ever live. The foundation of Reggae was literally built on his back. He practically came up with the name “Reggae”, and spread it around the globe.

Mr. Lee helped so many great people become the great artists, producers, and engineers that they are today. King Jammy’s, Sly & Robbie, Specialist, Willie Lindo, Max Romeo, Beenie Man and so many others were propelled to another level thanks to the help of Mr. Lee. Countless other greats that passed away also achieved international fame thanks to the help of Mr. Lee. John Holt, and Eric Donaldson being two of them, whose collaborations with Mr. Lee went on to be covered by the multi platinum selling UB40 and the Rolling Stones. And we can’t forget his collaborations with King Tubby’s. That’s a movie within itself. A whole movement that started so many other genres of music.

This is how great Mr. Lee was in his prime. When the great Bob Marley became more popular as a solo artist and started touring more frequently, Bob literally took Mr. Lee’s band, the Aggrovators. Mr. Lee was able to replace the band members that toured with Bob and continue to produce some of his best music ever. Then the great Peter Tosh began to become more popular as a solo artist and took the great Sly & Robbie on tour with him and Mr. Lee still thrived. His genius and relentlessness was unmatched.

Even to this day, his influence is still felt. I was able to remix one of his productions, and luckily it got to Koffee thanks to Walshy Fire from Major Lazer. She heard the riddim and liked it enough to put it on her debut project, which went on to win the Grammy for Reggae album of the year. Mr. Lee’s legacy is solidified. There is so much more I can say about him because he’s literally done it all. He’s a true legend, but most importantly, a Reggae ambassador to the world, and a mentor to anyone willing to listen. Long live Mr. Bunny Striker Lee.