Michael George Campbell (4 June 1954 – 15 March 2008), better known as Mikey Dread,Pronounced as was a Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster.
Biography Born in Port Antonio,Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, , pp. 99–101 as one of five children, Campbell showed a natural aptitude for engineering and electronics from an early age.Clayson, Alan (2008) "Mikey Dread", The Guardian, 25 March 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2016 As a teenager he performed with the Safari and Sound of Music sound systems, and worked on his high school's radio station.Katz, David (2015) "How Mikey Dread revolutionised Jamaican music several times over", Fact, 15 September 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2016
He studied electrical engineering at the College of Arts, Science and Technology, and in 1976, started out as an engineer with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC). Campbell wasn't impressed that the JBC's playlists mainly consisted of bland, foreign pop music at a time when some of the most potent reggae was being recorded in Jamaica. He convinced his JBC bosses to give him his own radio program called Dread at the Controls, where he played almost exclusively reggae. Before long, Campbell (now using the DJ name Mikey Dread) had the most popular program on the JBC. Well known for its fun and adventurous sonic style, Dread at the Controls became a hit all over Jamaica. Examples of Mikey Dread's distinctive radio chatter can be heard on the US release of the RAS label LP African Anthem Dubwise.
Recording artist In 1977, King Tubby encouraged Dread to begin recording after he visited Tubby's studio to cut a jingle over the riddim "Psalm of Dub". Tubby persuaded him to expand the jingle into a full-length recording and encouraged him to establish his own record label. The resulting "Love the Dread" became the first release on the Dread at the Controls label and reached number seven on the Jamaican charts.
He subsequently recorded with Lee "Scratch" Perry, who produced his signature tune "Dread at the Controls", and also recorded for Sonia Pottinger and Joe Gibbs and performed with the Socialist Roots Sound System. JBC's conservative management and Campbell clashed, and he quit in protest in 1978, becoming an engineer at the Treasure Isle studio, where he began an association with producer Carlton Patterson. They co-produced Dread's own work (including "Barber Saloon") and that of others.
Through Dread at the Controls, he worked with artists such as Edi Fitzroy, Sugar Minott, and Earl Sixteen, and produced his own work. The label released Dread's albums Evolutionary Rockers (released in the UK as Dread at the Controls) and World War III.
Campbell's music attracted the attention of British punk rock band the Clash, who invited him to England to tour with them in 1980. Although initially suspicious of the band, Campbell soon became friends with its members, producing their "Bankrobber" single and performing on several songs on their 1980 album Sandinista!. Campbell also toured with the Clash across Britain, Europe, and the US, gaining many new fans along the way. His live performances with the band included vocals on "Armagideon Time", as captured on the album From Here to Eternity: Live. He studied at the National Broadcasting School in London in 1980 and in 1984 studied advanced recording technology at the North London Polytechnic.
During the early 1980s he provided vocals for the reggae collective Singers And Players on the album Leaps and Bounds, an album which brought together Prince Far I, Creation Rebel, Headley Bennett, The Congos, Style Scott and The Roots Radics, and was released on Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound record label. Dread produced ten dub tracks for UB40 and toured Europe and Scandinavia as their support artist.
Some of his works in the United Kingdom include hosting series such as Rockers Roadshow and narrating the six-part Channel 4 reggae documentary series Deep Roots Music. He later recorded "The Source (Of Your Divorce)" for Warner Brothers Records US, which obtained regularly rotated video airplay.
In 1991, Dread recorded Profile and African Anthem Revisited. He also toured in Europe and the US with Freddie McGregor, Lloyd Parks, We The People Band, and the Roots Radics Band.
In 1992, he collaborated with former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin on a duet entitled "Can't Hear 'Em". He was nominated for a NAIRD award, an award from the Billboard Magazine, for his work on his 1990 compilation album Mikey Dread's Best Sellers.
In 1993, Mikey Dread was involved in several projects, including his tour supporting the album Obsession and working in TV with the Caribbean Satellite Network (CSN) where he was Program Director and on Air personality as well as Producer of various shows.
In 1994 he presented The Culture Award of Honor in the Martin's International Reggae Music Awards in Chicago. In 1995, he worked as a Radio DJ for WAVS 1170 AM and WAXY-AM 790 in Miami, Florida. In 1996 he participated in the Essential Music Festival as a performer in Brighton, UK.
Mikey furthered his knowledge of TV/video production at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, where he graduated in 1996 with Honors and at Lynn University in Boca Raton / Florida where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Communications, with Magna Cum Laude honours.
He performed live with The Clash, UB40, Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Macka B, and many other bands and artists. He also produced artists such as Sugar Minott, Junior Murvin, Earl Sixteen, Wally Bucker, Sunshine, Jah Grundy and Rod Taylor. He also worked closely with producer Trevor Elliot to launch musical career of singer Edi Fitzroy. Mikey Dread was the featured artist on "Lips Like Sugar" with Seal for the soundtrack of the 2004 film, 50 First Dates.
Move to Miami
After many years working as a producer and singer, Campbell withdrew from the business and moved to Miami where he furthered his college education with courses in electronics and business, and ran the Caribbean Satellite Network TV station in Miami. Campbell shrewdly waited until all of his existing contracts expired and then regained control over his entire catalogue; he began re-releasing much of it on his own Dread at the Controls record label.
He performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2002 and at Glastonbury Festival in 2004, and toured the UK in 2006.
Dread, together with The Blizzard of 78, featured on The Sandinista! Project, a tribute to the 1980 Clash album Sandinista!, with the song "Silicone on Sapphire". The tribute album, recorded in 2004, was released on 15 May 2007 by the 00:02:59 Records (a label named after a lyric from the Sandinista! song "Hitsville UK").
In October 2007, it was announced that Campbell was being treated for a brain tumor. He died on 15 March 2008, surrounded by his family, at the home of his sister in Stamford, Connecticut. He left seven children, three daughters and four sons, the youngest of whom was 4 months old when he died and who he had with his wife Monica.
Discography Studio albums Year Album 1979 African Anthem Additional information Released: 1979 Recorded: 1978 Label: Dread at the Controls (DATC LP 002) Format: LP Producer: Mikey Dread Track listing "Saturday Night Style" (Campbell) – 4:55 "Industrial Spy" (Dread) – 4:25 "Headline News" (Campbell) – 3:06 "Mikey Dread in Action" (Campbell) – 5:10 "Resignation Dub" (Campbell) – 5:01 "Technical Selection" (Campbell) – 3:50 "Comic Strip" (Campbell) – 3:02 "Pre-Dawn Dub" (Campbell) – 3:21 "Operator's Choice" (Campbell) – 4:45 2004 and 2005 reissues bonus tracks "Ancestral Dub" – 2:51 "Raggamuffin Dubstyle" – 3:48 "JBC Days" / "Proper Education Dub" – 5:24 "Freelancer Dub" – 4:34 "Jumping Master Dub" – 1:44 "Peacemaker Dub" – 4:07 Reissues 1996 Big Cat (CD) 2004 Auralux (LUXXCD 005) (CD, alternative cover, bonus tracks, deluxe edition) 2005 Dread at the Controls (DATC CD 1033) (CD, alternative cover, bonus tracks, deluxe edition) Dread at the Controls Additional information Released: 1979 Recorded: 1979 Labels: Trojan (TRLS 178), Dread at the Controls Format: LP Producer: Mikey Dread Track listing "Everybody Needs a Proper Education" – 7:20 "Dread Combination" (Campbell) – 4:12 "Love the Dread" (Campbell) – 2:55 "The Voice of Jah" – 3:42 "Step by Step" – 4:52 "Walk Rastafari Way" (Campbell) – 3:45 "King in the Ring" – 3:58 "Barber Saloon" (Campbell) – 7:20 2005 reissues bonus tracks "African Map" – 4:17 "School Girl" – 4:06 "East Portland Dub" – 4:06 "Bull Bay Dubwize" – 3:28 "DATC Tribute to King Tubby" – 3:17 "Voice of Dub" – 3:30 "Internal Energy Dubmix" – 2:54 "Rastadub" – 2:58 "School Girl Dub" – 4:11 Reissues 1979 (as Evolutionary Rockers) Dread at the Controls (LP) 1989 (as Evolutionary Rockers) Dread at the Controls (CD, bonus tracks) 2001 Trojan (37311781) (LP) 2005 Dread at the Controls (DATC CD 2014; mikeydread11) (CD, bonus tracks) 2007 (as Evolutionary Rockers) Dread at the Controls (CD, bonus tracks) Notes: Dread at the Controls has been released by DATC as Evolutionary Rockers in 1979, 1989, and 2007 with different cover arts and track listings. 1980 World War III Additional information Released: 1980 Recorded: 1980 Label: Dread at the Controls (TNT1) Format: LP Producer: Mikey Dread Track listing "The Jumping Master" (Campbell) – 5:09 "Break Down the Walls" (Campbell) – 5:28 "Jah Jah Love (In the Morning)" (Campbell) – 6:47 "Israel" (12 Tribe) / "Stylee" (Extended Play) (Campbell) – 3:40 "Money Dread" (Campbell) – 3:34 "Mental Slavery" (Campbell) – 6:06 "Skin Head Skank" (Campbell) – 3:22 "Losers Weepers, Finders Keepers" (Campbell) – 6:45 "World War III" (Extended Play) (Campbell) – 6:13 2002 reissue bonus tracks "Warrior Stylee" (Campbell) – 5:17 "DATC Masterpiece" (Campbell) – 3:36 "Break Down the Dub" (Campbell) – 3:14 "Seekers Dub" (Campbell) – 3:13 "Jamaican Dub" (Campbell) – 2:53 "Flat Fee Dub" (Campbell) – 3:02 Reissues 1981 Hearthbeat (HB-02) (LP) 2002 Dread at the Controls (DATC LP TNT 1) (CD, bonus tracks) 1981 Beyond World War III Additional information Released: 1981 Recorded: 1980–1981 Label: Big Cat Format: LP Producer: Mikey Dread Track listing "Break Down the Walls" (Campbell) – 5:47 "Jah Jah Love (In the Morning)" (Campbell) – 7:14 "The Jumping Master" (Campbell) – 5:39 "Israel" (12 Tribe) / "Stylee" (Extended Play) (Campbell) – 8:44 "Warrior Stylee" (Extended Stero Style) (Campbell) – 7:51 "Money Dread" (Campbell) – 3:33 "Rockers Delight" (Extended Play) (Campbell) – 8:05 "Mental Slavery" (Campbell) – 6:35 "World War III" (Campbell) – 3:43 Reissues 1996 Big Cat (23131521)(LP) 1996 Big Cat (23131522)(CD) 1997 Big Cat (80109)(CD) 1999 Big Cat (109)(CD) unknown date Heartbeat (CD-HB-02)(CD) 1982 Dub Catalogue Volume 1 Additional information Released: 1982 Recorded: 1982 Label: Dread at the Controls (DATC LP 005) Format: LP Producer: Mikey Dread Track listing "Demo Dub" – 5:35 "Raving Style" – 3:12 "Dub Addict" – 3:21 "Stereo Dub" – 3:04 "Brain Wave" – 2:32 "Two Track Dub" – 6:13 "Front Room Dub" – 3:17 "Control Tower Dub" – 3:26 "Reflexion Dub" – 3:36 "Dreadlocks Dub" – 3:23 2006 reissue bonus track "Queen Dub" (Campbell) – 4:13 Reissue 2006 Dread at the Controls (CD, bonus tracks) Notes: The 2006 reissue has "Front Room Dub" on track number 6 and "Two Track Dub" on track number 7. Dub Merchant Additional information Released: 1982 Recorded: 1982 Label: Dread at the Controls (DATC LP 009) Format: LP Producer: Mikey Dread Track listing "Freestyle Dubatak" – 5:38 "Theme from Solidarity" – 4:09 "Dub Trakarak" – 4:03 "Klappaz Konekshan" – 4:03 "3 O'Clock Dubatak" – 5:25 "Gully Bank Dub" – 3:24 "River Nile Style" – 3:05 "Radix Revenge" – 3:03 "Tricky Track" – 4:20 "Dub Venture" – 3:47 "Jamba Dub" – 1:48