Ranking Dread (born Winston Brown; – 1996)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. 246.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2003) ''The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn'',

Rough Guides Rough Guides is a travel company that offers tailor-made trips planned and arranged by local travel experts based in destinations around the world. Originally established as a guidebook publisher in 1982, Rough Guides expanded into customized t ...

, , p. 274. was a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

deejay and was born in the Jamaican parish of Trelawny but grew up in the

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

ghettos of Rema and Tivoli. He became famous for his work with the Ray Symbolic

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

in the 1970s. His later years in the UK and North America were ended by legal issues.

Biography

Ranking Dread first became known as a deejay on the Ray Symbolic sound system in Jamaica, but by the late 1970s he had moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he worked with Lloyd Coxsone's sound system. He released four albums starting with ''Girls Fiesta'' in 1978, produced by

Linval Thompson Leval Alphonso Thompson (born 12 October 1954, Kingston, Jamaica), also known as Linval Thompson, is a Jamaican conscious roots reggae vocalist, dub musician and record producer. Biography Thompson was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, but spent ti ...

, and worked with producer Sugar Minott on his third album, ''Lots of Loving''. He had a minor UK hit in the early 1980s with "Fattie Boom Boom", but in the mid-1980s, he faded from the music scene and became more notorious for his criminal activities, where he was labelled "the most dangerous man in Britain and the number one Yardie Godfather".Thompson, Tony (2001),
Two more die on 'murder mile'
, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', 22 April 2001. This was backed up by his appearance on a British television programme in the late 1980s entitled

The Cook Report ''The Cook Report'' was a British current affairs television programme, produced by ITV Central, Central Independent Television for ITV (TV network), ITV. It was presented by Roger Cook (journalist), Roger Cook which was broadcast from 22 July ...

. However, when interviewed by TV Journalist Ben Chin in 1990 for a Canadian TV documentary, he denied all allegations put to him. He had been involved with Jamaican gang leader

Claude Massop Claude Massop (12 May 1947 – 4 February 1979) was the leader and strongman of the Phoenix Gang, later renamed the Shower Posse, belonging to Tivoli Gardens, Wellington Street, Rema, Denham Town and the surrounding areas of West Kingston, Jama ...

, and was wanted by Jamaican police in connection with over thirty murders. He travelled to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where he lived under several aliases including Errol Codling, became the head of a Hackney drug-dealing and

armed robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person o ...

gang,Pitts, John (2008) ''Reluctant Gangsters: The Changing Face of Youth Crime'', Willan Publishing, , p. 86. and was wanted by the police there. He was arrested at an illegal drinking club in 1988 and found to be in possession of illegal drugs and deported later that year, officially for entering the country illegally, after being branded the most dangerous foreign national living in Britain.O'Hanlon, Terry (1996)
"Storm as Yardie gangsters sneak back into Britain"
''

Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marked ...

'', 21 July 1996. In 1990, after being deported from the United States, he was arrested in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

for allegedly slashing his girlfriend's face with a knife after entering the country illegally on a fake passport, and attempted to gain refugee status there, claiming that he feared for his life in Jamaica due to his political affiliations.Refugee Reject Passes Our Test
, '' Simcoe Reformer'', 21 March 1990. He was eventually extradited back to Jamaica where he died in prison in 1996.

Discography

Albums

*''Girls Fiesta'' (1978), Burning Sounds *''Kunta Kinte Roots'' (1979), Burning Sounds *''Lots of Loving'' (1980), Stand Firm *''Ranking Dread in Dub'' (1982), Silver Camel *''2 Dread Inna Babylon'' (2006), Silver Kamel (with Massive Dread) *''Most Wanted'' (2007),

Greensleeves "Greensleeves" is a traditional English folk song. A broadside ballad by the name "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleves" was registered by Richard Jones at the London Stationers' Company in September 1580,Frank Kidson, ''English F ...

Singles

*''Disco E.P. Showcase'' (EP) (1980), Art & Craft *"I Don't Want To Be No General" (1980), D.E.B. *"Fattie Boom Boom" (1981), Greensleeves *"Poor Man Story" (1981), Live And Love *"Wah We Do" (1981), Live And Love *"My Mammy" (1982), Greensleeves *"Shut Me Mouth" (1982), Greensleeves *"Stylelily" (1998), High Power Music *"Love A Dub" (2007), Greensleeves

References

External links

DiscographyRanking Dread
at Roots Archives {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranking Dread 1950s births 1996 deaths Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Jamaican reggae musicians Yardies