Photo by Bob Minkin via Sweet Relief
Longtime RatDog bassist Robin Sylvester passed away today.news first announced It was later confirmed by former RatDog guitarist Mark Karan. Relics and Jambands.com. In the post, Curran wrote, “I can’t believe what I just heard. Our beloved Robin Sylvester passed away leaving a huge hole in all of us.
Born in Hampstead, London in 1950, Sylvester began his musical career with the a cappella London Boy Singers Chorus. Later, while the Beatles were recording the White Album, he worked in the Abbey Road studios and picked up bass. A multi-instrumentalist, he experimented with synthesizers early on and was also active as a guitarist and arranger. After supporting actress/singer Dana Gillespie, he moved to the United States in 1974 and played in his folk outfit The Movies, where Clive Davis signed Arista. He has earned studio credits and has performed with Marty Balin, The Coasters, The Drifters, Billy Preston, Christine McVie, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and more. He first entered Dead’s orbit when he earned a spot in Vince Wernick’s Missing Man formation.
Sylvester officially joined RatDog in early 2003 after founding bassist Rob Wasserman left. As the project line-up evolved, he continued to perform with his RatDog and remained part of the ensemble after Wasserman rejoined several years later. However, Sylvester missed many shows in 2012 while waiting for a kidney transplant. set up fun to help pay for his medical bills.
Since partnering with Weir, he has also appeared in Dead-related Bay Area projects such as Ghosts of Electric, Melvin Shields & JGB, David Nelson & Friends, Jemima Puddleduk, and The Rubber Souldias. I’m here.
RatDog has been on hiatus since 2014, but a year later the band’s version featuring Sylvester was performed at the Sing Out for Sight benefit. Wasserman passed away in 2016, and Don Was is Weir’s bassist in The Wolf Brothers.
An official cause of death was not available at press time.