Mikey Dread

Mikey Dread

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   [mikeydread]

   Mikey Dread

   In 1977, a young technician called Michael Campbell took on a

   graveyard shift as a DJ at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC).

   He adopted the radio name of "Mikey Dread", and the show soon earned

   him national and then international celebrity.

   Dread's innovative DJ-ing had a wide influence, as did his style as a

   producer. Reggae's renaissance man also became a recording artist in

   his own right, founded his own record label Dread At The Controls -

   and later worked in television in both the UK where he narrated the

   highly praised Channel 4 documentary Deep Roots Music - series - 6 one

   hour shows. Later he worked in the United States. He gained a

   reputation as a shrewd businessman, almost unique among Jamaican

   artists in gaining control of his entire back catalogue. He was a

   hard-working and dapper performer; his fedora hat and jacket became a

   visual trademark.

   From an early age, Campbell showed a voracious appetite for learning �

   a life-long attribute that would serve him well. Electronics

   fascinated him, and he taught himself the basics from books. His

   biographer Trevor Holland notes that he improvised with batteries and

   old bicycle lamps to supply lighting for his mother's house. At

   Titchfield High School in Port Antonio he began to make broadcasts

   after persuading the headmaster to get the school a licence.

   Later, while studying electrical and mechanical engineering at the

   College of Art, Science and Technology in Kingston, he applied for a

   position as a technical operator at JBC in 1976. By 1977, this work

   had led to him being offered a shift DJ-ing six nights a week from

   midnight till 4.30am, but because of his professional status, he

   wasn't supposed to talk on the radio. Thus he began using jingles and

   sound effects between songs rather than spoken word intros � a style

   emulated ever since on reggae shows the world over.

   Dread at the Controls focused on the rootsier side of local music at a

   time when most Jamaican radio favoured imported sounds, and it soon

   became the nation's most popular radio show. Tapes circulated among

   music industry figures, spreading his reputation to the UK. Mikey

   Dread's association with Jamaican musicians such as Lee Perry and King

   Tubby gave him exclusive early access to dub plates and artists they

   were producing.

   He also got to use their studios, where he made the jump to recording

   artist in 1978 with "Love the Dread". "Dread at the Mantrols" was

   another early work featuring him toasting over Perry's classic

   "Dreadlocks in Moonlight", but the song that really propelled him into

   the limelight was "Barber Saloon", a number one hit in Jamaica.

   In 1979, friction between JBC's conservative management and Dread led

   him to quit. He had already founded the 40 Legs record label with his

   JBC colleague Pam Hickling, and now had his own label, Dread at the

   Controls, which allowed him to produce influential cuts for the likes

   of Sugar Minott, Junior Murvin, Earl Sixteen, The Ovations and Edi

   Fitzroy. His first album was Dread at the Controls (1978) and the

   classic African Anthem (1979) would later prove a fertile source of

   samples for US rappers.

   By the mid-1980s, he was beginning to work more in the US, thus

   precipitating a move to Florida. He eventually resumed ownership of

   the rights to his entire back catalogue, and was thus able to

   re-release it on his own label. The Dread did seem to be in control.

   In 2004 Dread appeared at Glastonbury, which introduced him to a new

   generation of fans. He was back in the UK on a short tour in 2006, and

   continued to work until a brain tumour caused him to lose his voice

   last spring.

   Jon Lusk - The Independent

   Sincere condolences are sent to Mikey's family and friends from Small

   Axe

   Michael George Campbell (Mikey Dread), DJ, broadcaster, producer and

   singer: born Port Antonio, Jamaica 4 June 1954; married (four sons,

   two daughters); died Stamford, Connecticut 15 March 2008.

   Mikey Dread - Evolutionary Rockers - DATC

   Mikey is another artist who once again is taking matters into his

   hands. Long ago, the DATC was a major reggae label with every release

   on 7" or 12" always looked forward too. In fact Mikey pioneered the

   value for money 12". Every release was in a proper DATC sleeve, and

   usually lasted 15 to 20 minutes! So this CD, which features a lot of

   the music released on 7" was going to be interesting to say the least.

   Its got everything and more from the late seventies - these tunes made

   the man and truly changed the way reggae was presented on the radio.

   His use of jingles and fx can still be heard today some 25 years after

   the event!!! And when Mikey gets around to releasing the 12" mixes on

   a CD a lot of people are going to be for a serious shock. They were

   incredible then, imagine what they sound like today on CD!

   Mikey Dread - African Anthem - Auralux

   DATC, Dread At The Controls was one of the most influential labels of

   the late seventies early eighties. Mikey was something new, even today

   I cannot think of anyone who comes close, perhaps Bobby Konders. This

   was the set that made Mikey Dread, it mixed together all the ideas

   that he had on his radio show in Jamaica. It features some of the

   toughest rhythms from that era.

   It is a dub album? It could be. To me its closer to a Version album.

   In that it features all of the different concepts in reggae music -

   instrumental, deejaying, and dub, but its not really any of them. This

   is a 15 track set, so it bigger than the original set released back in

   1979. Its also got some very detailed sleevenotes from Dave Katz.

   While the deluxe edition comes in a plastic box that is as hard

   as the music itself!