Today, the world music lost one of its forefathers as Steve “Grizzly” Nisbett, a founding drummer of reggae giant Steel Pulse, has passed away at the age of 69. Born on the small Caribbean island of Nevis, 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, Birmingham, in the United Kingdom. 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.
Nisbett joined Steel Pulse in 1977 before the release of their debut album, Handsworth Revolution, and remained with the band as a touring member until the release of 1997’s Rage and Fury. One of the group’s older members, Grizz served as the main drummer in the group 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.
