Drummie Zeb Memorial
Musician Angus “Drummie Zeb” Gaye, the lead vocalist and drummer for the British reggae band Aswad, has died aged 62, according to a statement.
“It is with deepest regret and profound loss that we have to announce the passing of our brother Angus ‘Drummie’ Gaye,” the band said. “Drummie has left us to join our ancestors and leaves a huge void both personally and professionally.”
Aswad, the trio of Angus Gaye, Brinsley Forde and Tony Robinson, were the first reggae band in the UK signed to an international label, Island Records, in the 1970s, and swiftly became a classic British reggae act creating 15 albums in two decades.
Angus Gaye (24 September 1959 – 2 September 2022), better known as Drummie Zeb, was a British musician. He was the drummer and lead singer for the reggae band Aswad, as well as a record producer for other artists.
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. He studied at Holland Park School in his hometown where he met his future bandmates Tony Robinson and Brinsley Forde.
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. He served as the lead singer and as a drummer for the group. They became the first British reggae group to sign with an international label, signing up with Island Records in 1975.