Steve Nisbett (15 March 1948 – 18 January 2018) was a

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

for the

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

group

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ron ...

, from 1977 to 2001. Stephen Vincent Nisbett was born in

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Ne ...

, the eldest of seven children, he left the Caribbean in 1957 at the age of nine to join his parents who had migrated to

Saltley Saltley is an inner-city area of Birmingham, east of the city centre. The area is part of the Washwood Heath ward, and was previously part of the Nechells ward. It is part of the Ladywood constituency in the city. History Saltley was originally ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England.Andy Brouwer, "Steve 'Grizzly' Nisbett"
AndyBrouwer.co.uk. He began playing drums and percussion as a teenager, and was a member of various soul bands, such as Penny Black, Rebel, and Roy Gee and the Stax Explosion. He joined

in 1977 before their debut album ''

Handsworth Revolution ''Handsworth Revolution'' is the debut album by British reggae band Steel Pulse. It is named after the Handsworth district of Birmingham, England, the band's home district to which the album was dedicated. The first Steel Pulse single for Isl ...

'' through to their 1997 release '' Rage and Fury''. Seen as the old man of the group he was the main drummer until 1998 when he gave up the honours to Conrad Kelly, but continued to play percussion. Nisbett retired from the band in 2001 due to health concerns, on good terms. He latterly lived in

Perry Barr Perry Barr is a suburban area in north Birmingham, England. It is also the name of a council constituency, managed by its own district committee. Birmingham Perry Barr is also a parliamentary constituency; its Member of Parliament is Khalid Ma ...

, England, and owned his own record company, Grizzly Records. Nisbett died on 18 January 2018, at the age of 69.

References

1948 births 2018 deaths British reggae musicians British male drummers People from Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis emigrants to the United Kingdom Black British musicians Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands {{drummer-stub