Musical Career

On the music side, the man was serious. He cut his teeth on the Ray Symbolic sound system back in Jamaica, built a strong reputation, and then made his move to London in the late 70s. That’s where things really opened up for him. He became a key part of the British reggae scene through his work with Lloyd Coxsone’s sound, and his 12″ singles from that period were massive, the kind that got played out and wore down quick from overuse. He dropped a few albums, but it was those singles that really made his name. His most productive years ran from the late 70s through to the mid-80s, and during that window he was everywhere.

In terms of chart action, Fatty Boom Boom gave him a minor UK hit, while his vocal and DJ work circulated hard on UK sound system tapes, reaching ears that never necessarily bought the official pressings. Stylistically, he sits right at that interesting crossover point between late roots and early dancehall.

Hard Times

But life caught up with him hard. He was deported from both the UK and the US, had an arrest in Canada with a refugee claim that went nowhere, and was eventually extradited back to Jamaica. He died there in prison in 1996. Some people said he was poisoned, while others just say he died while inside.

Girls Fiesta

The Girls Fiesta set from 1978 was the debut, and it was produced by Linval Thompson, which already tells you something about the quality of the foundation. Despite the playful implication of its title, the content skews heavily cultural tracks like Natty Dread Is A Struggler, Poor Man, and Natty On The Rock deal with ghetto hardship, Rastafari, and resistance. But there are also more celebratory DJ cuts like Girls Fiesta, the herb praising track, Marijuana Soul and pieces that reference London sound system locales such as Kilburn Lane, reflecting Ranking Dread’s UK connection. The latter tune runs across the popular Real Rock riddim.

Jamaica/London

The riddims were laid down at Channel One Studios in Kingston, primarily by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare among others, while Dread’s vocals were recorded at Chalk Farm Studios in Camden, London, engineered by Sid Bucknor. This production setup reflects Dread’s circumstances at the time: he had relocated to the UK and was working with Lloyd Coxsone’s sound system in London, having left Jamaica under a cloud of serious legal troubles at home.

Linval Thompson

As said before, Linval Thompson was seriously involved with the album, so it’s not strange that the riddim selection draws heavily from Linval’s own productions, with most of the foundation coming from his Love Is The Question LP. You can even hear Linval’s own voice ghosting through some of these tunes. Ranking’s Africa sits on the Africa Is For Blackman song, while Marijuana Soul naturally takes from Linval’s classic I Love Marijuana. Then you have Natty On The Rock/Death Trap which has Linval’s massive Dreader Than Dread song as the basis. The title track itself uses Linval’s My Girl riddim. For Sister Lorna, they went with I The Controller.

Style

Ranking Dread’s vocal delivery reminds us at times of Dillinger, he’s cool and takes it easy, not an explosive energetic style, but still confident. His voice is recognizable by an almost plaintive, drawling way of toasting, full of improvisations and interjections. Across the album, the dub influence hits hard, with Robbie Shakespeare’s basslines carrying serious weight in the mix.