Johnny Dollar teamed with co-producer Cameron McVey to mastermind Massive Attack's seminal 1991 debut Blue Lines, in effect midwifing the cinematic, dense fusion of beats, samples, and strings retroactively dubbed "trip-hop." Born Jonathan Sharp in Cornwall, England on February 20, 1964, he was the son of cult filmmaker Don Sharp, whose oeuvre boasts the underground favorite Psychomania. While holding a series of short-lived jobs ranging from mechanic to trout farmhand, he sang with a local group called the "Fabulous Inkblots" eventually landing an engineering gig with a west London recording studio. In 1988, Dollar (so named because he alone was paid for his work on Blue Lines) befriended McVey, aka "Booga Bear," at that time working on Raw Like Sushi, the debut LP by his future wife, singer Neneh Cherry. Additional collaborators included Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Robert "3D" Del Naja, later two-thirds of Massive Attack, and over the course of the resulting sessions, the basic blueprint for trip-hop's pioneering marriage of soul, reggae, and electronica began to take shape. In particular, Dollar's production work on Cherry's hit "Manchild" crystallized his signature sound, forging a uniquely atmospheric and understated interpretation of contemporary club music. The commercial and critical success of Raw Like Sushi led to a contract with Circa Records to complete the sessions for what would become Blue Lines. With Dollar and McVey installed as producers and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall completing the core Massive Attack lineup, bolstered by vocalist Shara Nelson and rapper Tricky Kid, they began work on their landmark debut single "Unfinished Symphony," a haunting, richly appointed masterpiece that routinely ranks on critics' lists of the best British singles of all time. In addition to his programming expertise, Dollar also contributed keyboards and guitars to the completed LP, issued to near-universal acclaim in April 1991. The hits "Safe from Harm" and "Hymn of the Big Wheel" soon followed, and months later Massive Attack and Dollar reconvened to begin sessions for a proposed sophomore effort, Protection. A few demos were recorded, but Dollar and McVey were also at work on Cherry's own follow-up, Homebrew, so Massive Attack instead recruited producer Nellee Hooper. While Homebrew did not fare as well as its predecessor, Dollar and Cherry again reunited in 1994 for "7 Seconds," her smash collaboration with Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour. Dollar also helmed the Gabrielle blockbuster "Rise" and Kylie Minogue's "Confide in Me," and remixed tracks for Depeche Mode, EMF, Carleen Anderson, and Pulp. After battling cancer, Dollar died in London on May 29, 2009. ~ Jason Ankeny