Judge Dread, aka Alexander Minto Hughes, was the first
white artist to chart a reggae hit in Jamaica!
An Englishman by birth, JD would outsell every single
ska/reggae artist in the 1970’s except Bob Marley.
A colorful character, he was a very powerful man
who made a living being a bouncer, bodyguard,
professional wrestler, and sometime security man for
The Rolling Stones.
He was also known as the most censored artist in BBC history.
Banned for suggestive lyrics and double entendres, he never
actually used profanity he was just a naughty fellow indeed.
And I say “Good for Him!”.
The world needs more people like that.
Alas, he is no longer with us, he passed away in 1998 after
having performed a gig in Canterbury, walking off the stage
he supposedly said “Let’s hear it for the band!” and collapsed.
He was actually a pretty good songwriter and Elvis Presley
was going to cover one of his songs but he died before the
deal was made final.
He’s doing a Chuck Berry tune here, with a Ska flare that
only he could accomplish…