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Artist
Mikey Dread
12+ albums
reggaedubroots reggaejamaicaroots
about
Michael Campbell (1954-2008), better known as Mikey Dread, was a multi-talented Jamaican singer, producer, and broadcaster. During his long career, he brought dub music to the cultural fore in not only Jamaica but internationally, courageously fused dub with punk via work with The Clash, spread a global message of racial unity, and played a seminal role as a forefather of the now popular and very commercial dancehall and even reggaeton styles with popular dub cuts like Roots and Culture. From an early age, Campbell showed a natural aptitude for engineering and electronics. After he finished college, Campbell 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 nothing but 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. Inevitably, JBC's conservative management and Campbell clashed, and he quit in protest. By that time, Campbell had earned a solid reputation as a singer and producer and began recording his own material. Distinctive albums such as Dread At The Controls, Evolutionary Rockers, and World War III all be
