Click to enlarge	Ranking Dread Avg 4.00 / 5 Total of 1 votes
Last update: 02/04/10 18:53:14 Account: SKA Artist Location: ISLANDS: Caribbean: Jamaica Signed up: 21 Nov 2008 08:11 AM Members: Genre: DanceHall Influences: Website: http://www.reggae-mp3.com

Biography

Bio Details of Ranking Dread  real name  Robert Blackwood

RD was a little known DJ and very little information is available about him. It seems he came from a poor background in the ghetto. Got a few lucky breaks from TZ and others and had a brief excursion into the limelight. He however then turned back to his old ways, got into a shooting with the police and got thrown in jail, escaped from jail.

It goes something like this:

Ranking Dread (RD) & Tappa Zukie (TZ) grew up together in the poor areas of Tivoli and Trenchtown.

1969 TZ was running with a sound at that time called Iozes Disco and would hand RD the mike, it would always get a good response from the crowd. A favorite club was Bertram Den on 1st Street.

RD and TZ were running around in Tivoli doing “rude boy business” RDs nickname at this time was “Boyak”. TZ was arrested and sent to prison. When he came out RDs new nickname was “Dread” and he was causing quite a stir at the dances.

At this time the police caught up with Dread, apparently he had been involved with a shooting of a police officer. He was arrested and sent to prison. He then escaped from prison. Now he was a wanted man.

While on the run he got involved in some political badness, maybe he was hired by one of the warring parties of the time. Many youths were slaughtered on the street in Jamaica and a Gun court was established.

Many of the prominent people from Tivoli were taking notice of RD and his escapades and made comments like “he gwan like him want fi dead”.

TZ came to Dreads rescue and took him to England, still a wanted man. TZ had several international hits at that time and took RD on tour with him and RD was the opening act doing three or four tunes.  RD became popular and started hanging out with other popular stars of the time like Al Campbell, Clint Eastwood and General Saint. At this time (1981) RD recorded Fattie Boom Boom which became a huge hit and got some international notice for Dread.

1981 saw the release on the Silver Camel label of “Ranking Dread in Dub”, and a RD produced single “Use Me” by Diana.

Sometime after this, mid/late 80s RD was extradited to Jamaica, he went to Canada and sought political asylum, however the Canadian authorities sent him back to JA.

He got caught in possession of a gun and was sent to Gun Court and from there to prison.

RD died in prison sometime around 1996 apparently of over-exercising and because he had a heart condition it killed him. Discography

1978         Girls Fiesta         Produced by Linval Thompson @ Chalk Farm Studios, London, UK

1979         Kunte Kinte                Label Burning Sounds

1980         Lots of Loving     Produced by Ranking Dread & Sugar Minott, Recorded @ Channel One, Jamaica, Label Jah Life. Musicians:  Black Roots Band and Sly & Robbie

1981         Ranking Dread in Dub  Recorded @ Channel One, voice overdubs @ Black Star Studios, London UK.  Label Silver Camel. Musicians: Sly & Robbie mixed by king Tubby, Roots Radics mixed by Scientist.

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