Leroy Sibbles says he's earned the title 'King of the Reggae Bassline'

Bob Marley is remembered as the King of Reggae. Yellowman, Vybz Kartel and Beenie Man have each worn the crown of King of Dancehall. Now, reggae's rhythmic architecture has a king of its own — and he's headed to New York.

"I am King of the Reggae Bassline," Leroy Sibbles proclaimed during a recent performance in New York. Ahead of his upcoming appearance at the 26th Annual Tri-State Family Fun Festival, slated for Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, at Heckscher State Park (Pavilion No. 2) in East Islip, Long Island, New York, Sibbles said the title is one he has earned, not just claimed.

"I create the basslines that bass players play," Sibbles told Caribbean National Weekly. "Every prominent Jamaican singer is on a Leroy Sibbles bassline."

Long before the title, there was the work. As lead vocalist of The Heptones and the chief arranger and session bassist at Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One, Sibbles helped engineer the sound that carried Jamaican music from ska into rocksteady and roots reggae. He stretched bass notes into long, melodic lines and built rhythmic space that other musicians are still building on today.

His fingerprints are on some of the most reused recordings in music history. The instrumental "Full Up," which he created at Studio One, resurfaced decades later as the foundation for Musical Youth's international hit "Pass the Dutchie." He also laid the bassline for "Satta Massagana" and "Declaration of Rights," two of The Abyssinians' most enduring spiritual anthems.

After keyboardist Jackie Mittoo left Studio One, Sibbles stepped in as the studio's primary arranger, shaping sessions and backing artists including Burning Spear, Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown and Horace Andy. As a member of the Soul Vendors, he played behind Bob Andy, Ken Boothe, John Holt, Slim Smith and dozens more, contributing to tracks including "Freedom Blues," "Love Me Forever," "Queen of the Minstrel," "Ten to One" and "Door Peep."

Asked how he approaches building a bassline, Sibbles said the process starts with listening, not playing.

"My basslines are guided by the song and the melody of the song," he explained. "Whenever I am going to play a bassline to a song, I listen to the song and I am influenced by the melody, the words and the chord structure, and I use that to create my basslines."

Wearing the Crown

For Sibbles, the King of the Bassline title isn't just an honorific — it's something he now builds directly into his live shows.

"I really accept being called the King of the Reggae Bassline because I check the lines that I've played, and I realize that these lines stand out more — they are being reproduced, replayed. They are more popular than most other people who play bass and create basslines," he said.

He's found that working the title into his set list does double duty: It entertains and educates.

"When I'm adding it to my set list, it actually teaches people exactly what's going on and which of the songs were done originally and later copied," Sibbles said. "Apart from that, it makes my whole performance even more interesting. So putting it in there is a plus."

A New Chapter With Duane Stephenson

Sibbles' latest project pairs his signature basslines with a singer he's long admired: Duane Stephenson. The two recently recorded the track "Shoulder to Cry On," which Sibbles said he's especially proud of.

"Duane Stephenson has been a favorite singer of mine from the first time I heard him," Sibbles said. "I recognize that he is a great singer. And when I chose him to sing this single, I heard the song, and when I heard the song, I heard him singing it."

The choice, he said, felt inevitable once the song took shape.

"He is the person who came to mind, and it was a perfect choice because when I listen to the song, I am completely satisfied," Sibbles said. "I love his delivery, his emotion — he put everything into it. He sang it just the way I expected it to sound and expected him to perform it."

Sibbles takes the stage at the Annual Tri-State Family Fun Festival, where he promises fans both the deep catalog they grew up with and a glimpse of what the King of the Reggae Bassline is building next.