Roots Archives Forum

Is it true, that the DJ Ranking Dread is dead? I don't know anything about that, was he sick? Or what happened to him?


Thanx for the answers

Make a search for Ranking Dread (born Winston Brown I think)at the Blood & Fire or Sierra Nevada forums, they have historic facts of this guy. He was poisoned in 1986 in prison down in Jamaica. He was a notorious badman and killed many, uncertain how many but they were not few in numbers. He was also featured in the book Yardies, still in print I think. Bad boy, a killer and rapist, but a good deejay nonetheless. The Lots of Loving LP is a classic.

Well, I've found documents saying he got deported the 8th of November in 1988. So I'm starting to think that he DIDN'T get poisoned in 1986.

Incredible deejay! One of my favorites on the mic.

what a sad information about a great deejay. I mean it's sad to hear that he was a real bad man.

Bless

last I heard he was in canada.This was around late 90's he'd been there for some time.I remember in the late 80's he was subject of T.v
investigater Roger cook on british t.v, focusing on R.D activities.Even when confronted he did'nt
give a Bl******rt.Not so sure about the rape allagations though?
favourite tune SHUT UP/SHUT ME MOUTH, one of my favourite posesions.
p+love

Well its certainly possible that it happened in the late eighties, I am not questioning if it wasn't '86, that's just what I've seen the most re the reports about his death. He had it coming... The name Ranking Dread is possibly used by other individuals, not to be confused with this particular person/deejay.
Yes, he was accused of raping, abuse and murder...not a good guy at all, but he was a really good micman, that's for certain.

I found a review saying "The deejay Ranking Dread aka Robert Blackwood grew up in the ghettos of Tivoli and Trenchtown together with Tappa Zukie, doing rude boy business and running a sound. When he was building his career he got involved in the shooting of a police officer and was imprisoned. He escaped from prison and was to live the rest of his life as a wanted man. He finally died in the Jamaican prison in 1996."

See http://www.reggae-vibes.com/rev_sin/rdindub.htm

I think I saw something like that also in a pressure sound review.

Gozer

was it in 96 oder 86???

What's 'oder'?

From a pretty reliable source comes the year '86 re this artist, so it could be another Ranking who died in '96.

I just think that '96 was a typo on the site.