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Reggae and ska musician Judge Dread produced a string of hits in the 1970s, such as Big Six and several others that were banned by the BBC for their sexual innuendo.
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Play NowJudge Dread. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:34, May 22, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347.
Judge Dread. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347 [Accessed 22 May 2013].
"Judge Dread." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 22 2013, 06:34 http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347.
"Judge Dread," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347 [accessed May 22, 2013].
"Judge Dread," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347 (accessed May 22, 2013).
Judge Dread [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 22] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347.
Judge Dread, http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347 (last visited May 22, 2013).
Judge Dread. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/judge-dread-20904347. Accessed May 22, 2013.
Synopsis
Judge Dread, also known as Alexander Minto Hughes, was born in Kent, England in 1945. Known for his girth (he weighed more than 250 pounds), the hefty Dread once worked as a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones. His recording career was launched in 1972, with the release of the single "Big Six." Packed with sexual innuendo, the song, like later follow-ups,
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"[My music has] nothing to do with politics or violence, just a good laugh."
was banned from the United Kingdom's airwaves. Dread sold millions of records during his long career, and his 1970s album sales were second only to Bob Marley.
Early Career
Credited as being the first white reggae artist to have hit song in Jamaica, Judge Dread was born as Alexander Minto Hughes on May 2, 1945 in the English country of Kent. Known for his size (he weighed in at 250 pounds), Judge Dread made an early name for himself as a wrestler, working under the pseudonym "the Masked Executioner." In the 1960s, Judge Dread's girth earned him a job as a bodyguard for the Rolling Stones.
Judge Dread's fascination with reggae music was sparked while living with a West Indian family in London as a teenager. Later, he started working at clubs, first as a bouncer and eventually as a deejay, playing reggae and ska music. By the early 1970s, Judge Dread was working as a debt collector for Trojan records, a label that specialized in reggae and ska, and soon began working on his own music.
In 1972, Judge Dread spent 8 pounds to record "Big Six," a sex-fused single that climbed to No. 11 on the U.K. music charts, even though it had been banned from the airwaves. In all, the single sold more than 300,000 copies and remained on the charts for an astounding 27 weeks.
Commercial Success
Judge Dread's next singles, "Big Seven" and "Big Eight," were worthy follow ups, with the former climbing to No. 10 on the U.K. charts. In 1978, Judge Dread offered up a successful remake of the 1969 hit "Je T'aime (Moi Non Plus)."
Over the next few years, Judge Dread recorded several other covers, including a rendition of Chuck Berry's banned song, "My Ding-a-Ling." Original hits were also produced, some with lewd names that only further put him out of favor with radio stations.
Overall, Judge Dread sold several million records, and his 1970s album sales ranked second only to Bob Marley.
Later Years
As his popularity began to cool in the late 1970s, partly due to the rise of punk music, Judge Dread allegedly went into semi-retirement. However, he continued to keep a careful eye on the music scene.
Judge Dread was still touring and recording when he died of a heart attack on March 13, 1998, in Canterbury, England. He had collapsed on stage at the Penny Theatre, where he'd just wrapped up a performance. He was 32 years old at the time.
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Reggae Artists
View groupFrom Babylon to Zion, they are the international artists who have revolutionized reggae, a musical genre that originated in Jamaica in the 1960s. At that time, the genre took on a more pop-based sound. Over the past several decades, however, reggae music has transformed to include various sub-genres such as rocksteady, roots reggae and steppa. Our list of Reggae Artists includes musicians of various styles and experiences, from Rastafarians to raggamuffins to sapps, to everyday mon; read about world-renowned musicians like Toots Hibbert, Peter Tosh, Judge Dread, Alton Ellis and Bob Marley.
Reggae Artists 19 people in this group
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Famous Taureans 518 people in this group
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Famous People Born in 1945 64 people in this group
