Mikey Dread – My Shining Star
By Monika Campbell

Mikey Dread was a true genius, a never to be forgotten star.  His accomplishments were many and it impossible to mention all of them.  Mikey Dread was a man of charismatic personality and generous character.  He was my husband, and the father of my only child.  It breaks my heart to know that he will not be around to teach our son what he has taught me.  One of many things he taught me was to understand the music business but foremost he taught me about life.  Great charisma, intelligence and enormous musical talent were his strongest qualities.  He also was a very articulate speaker which isn’t very surprising being a winner of multiple spelling championships as a young child. Mikey was blessed with a lot of talent for just one human being. He was a true genius and a shining star.  He was an inspiration not only for me, but for many others as well. He was a man who was loved by many, just by being himself.  He never had to act or pretend.  It was simply his outgoing nature which made him stand out in a crowd.  I had the opportunity to witness the unreal attraction from people of all races, all ages, and all genders. He was humorous, lively, friendly, and down to earth. He would never turn away a fan, and was always willing to take pictures, or sign an autograph. He had a wonderful knack for helping people.  He would never turn his back on someone in need and was never expecting anything in return.  Mikey had a lot of friends and fans. His phone would ring day and night, and the contact list in his phone was a few miles long.
One of the biggest legacies to Mikey Dread was his kindness and his generous heart.

Mikey Dread was a man who loved God, and lived by the principles of God. Jah was his life!
He was very ambitious and hard working in everything he did. When I met Mikey, he was taking a break from his musical career after being frustrated and ripped off by independent record labels. He was working on a degree in Communications. At that time he was attending Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida, and was working full time at “Sky TV.”  Even though he did not have a lot of time to study he did receive an outstanding honor degree called “Magna Cum Laude.” He was an extraordinarily intelligent man.

Later, when he returned to the reggae business, he became his own booking agent, because nobody could negotiate as well as he could.  I used to observe him negotiating with promoters, all the while doing all the calculations in his head; sometimes on a piece of paper.  I never saw Mikey using a calculator.  While he did not need any calculators, Mikey loved computers. He was on top of the game from the very beginning. When the internet started getting popular, Mikey was probably one of the first or maybe even the first Reggae artist to have his own website – www.mikeydread.com.  I remember we used to go to Borders Bookstore to buy different books on computer programs, from Photoshop, to Dreamweaver, to Pro Tools.  We taught ourselves the programs, so that we could be on top of the latest computer technology.  We used to stay up all night just to figure out certain tricks, and the more we learned, the more he wanted to learn, and the happier he became.

I loved Mikey’s presence in my life. He was always encouraging, and I looked up to him in every possible way. Now, a year has passed since I lost Mikey, and I am still very heartbroken. The pain has not eased since that date.  I lost my husband, my best friend, my protector and my advisor. I lost the man I wanted to spend my life with – the man of my life. 
I try to tell myself that Mikey’s passing was for a reason and even though I don’t understand the reason now, I hope I will do the day we meet again. The truth is that the best always go first, and Mikey was the best!  Mikey will always be the reggae ambassador and the pioneer of reggae radio.  Very few people have accomplished what Mikey had, as the talented and multi-tasked artist that he was.  Mikey helped spread reggae widely throughout the world - so that the new generation of kids will get to know him.  His work will be around for many years to come; just like the light from a star can be seen much after its death.

FOREVER IN LOVE!
FOREVER MY HUSBAND!

Mikey and The Blizzard Of 78 recently collaborated to create an amazing new version of The Clash song Silicone On Sapphire. The original version of the song was on Sandinista, The Clash's triple album where Mikey wrote, produced, and performed on several songs. This new version was recorded for an upcoming tribute record called The Sandinista Project due to be released in May.

The track has just been released on the Killing Floor label as a digital single and can be downloaded from iTunes and other digital music websites. You can preview the entire track here:

www.myspace.com/theblizzardof78

Some friends of Joe Strummer's run an outdoor musical festival in the UK called Strummercamp. They heard this version of Silicone On Sapphire and loved it. They thought it would be the perfect song for the Strummercamp website. Check it out here: http://www.strummercamp.co.uk

Special thanks to Keene Carse for the wicked cover art.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Insomnia Radio Network Partners with Legendary Producer and Reggae Artist Mikey Dread to Bring Original Reggae Programming to the Masses

Pismo Beach, California - December 7^th, 2006 – Insomnia Radio, a worldwide podcast and distribution network with a focus on independent and unsigned music, has joined forces today with legendary producer and musician Mikey Dread to bring free, original reggae-driven programming to the world.

Mikey Dread has a deep and productive history in the music industry, known for producing the first dedicated reggae show, "Dread At The Controls," for Jamaican Radio in 1977. He also produced The Clash's breakout hit "Bankrobber" as well as working with and performing on several Clash tracks in 1980-1981.

Since then, Dread has nurtured his own successful record label, appeared live next to Bob Dylan and Carlos Santana, produced dozens of successful albums for high profile musicians, and worked for several TV networks and radio shows across the globe.

More recently, he was a featured artist alongside Seal for the song "Lips Like Sugar," which appears on the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore film "50 First Dates." 

While podcasting is still relatively new, Mr. Dread is optimistic about this exploding medium: "This is a great opportunity for me to introduce the real and authentic reggae sounds on a global level from a Jamaican point of view. Being a pioneer in Reggae broadcasting I can authenticate the time line of reggae development and identify the actual "who is who" in reggae as I am a part of this development."

Insomnia Radio is also thrilled: "For two years we've primarily featured indie rock, and have wanted to expand into other genres of music. Reggae certainly deserves its own spotlight, and having Mikey onboard is a dream come true. His passion and experience is unparalleled, and we can't wait to get started!" 

Insomnia Radio sprung from host Jason Evangelho's desire to highlight music that simply wasn't being heard, typically by unsigned and independent musicians. Since October 2004 Insomnia Radio has grown from 10 listeners to over 50,000 per month in 60 countries, and expanded from a single show into several regional-specific shows.

Insomnia Radio Presents: Dread at the Controls launches worldwide January 2007.

To subscribe to the "Mikey Dread – Dread at the Controls" Podcast click here: http://insomniaradio.net

For More Info On Mikey Dread:  www.mikeydread.com

Interview Contact:
Jason Evangelho, Production Manager
jason@insomniaradio.net
805-709-1551

 
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To all Mikey Dread Fans,

You can download all Mikey Dread albums and CDs from itunes.com

Get all the hard to find Dread at the Controls tracks and Dubs at www.mikeydread.com and digital downloads from www.itunes.com and other digital download sites.

The Jamaica Observer
Basil Walters
Sunday March 19th, 2006

Michael Campbell, the man behind that refrain and one of Jamaica's most innovative and original radio personalities, is currently in the island, celebrating two siginficant milestones - his 30th anniversary as The Dread at the Control - and his father's centenary.

Since 1976, music programming on Jamaican radio has not been the same due to Campbell's trailblazing show, The Dread at the Control. For two years, he took the graveyard slot from midnight to 4:30am and transformed it into primetime listening by bringing what was then the novel concept of underground reggae to a mainstream audience.

In a real way the music was in transition from roots and culture/rockers to what would emerge in the post Marley period as dancehall, but which, in the late 70s, was still a nascent dub/DJ Sub-culture.Mikey Dread's immensely popular show at the peak of the dub plate era, facilitated and highlighted this process.

Those were changing times not only for the music, but for night-time radio. With his ingenuity, he took the dancehall/street vibes into the homes of a new generation of music aficionados. The transmitter engineer turned discjockey cemented the emerging trend of "more music, less talk" (non-stop music blocks) by embellishing his selections with the introduction of fancy jingles and other creative sound effects.

Now three decades later, Mikey Dread has returned to his roots and where it all started - the recording studios.

Taking time out of a hectic recording session at Anchor Recording Studio a week ago, Mikey Dread reiterated that the 30th anniversary of his groundbreaking programme converged with the anniversary of the birth of his father - Simon Campbell. "Dat man born on March 6, 1906, and mi deh yah fi celebrate him birthday because mi love mi fadda yuh nuh," Campbell enthused.

Continuing, he said, "Is 30 years since I started working on JBC, and mi a goh release a CD, coming out this year, featuring my shows, and a box set with all the tunes dem mi mek in the 70s and 80s. As part of the celebration also mi a goh tour Europe in May," the Miami-based Campbell revealed. The celebratory European tour will take him to England, Ireland, Poland, Italy and France.

"Mi a tour with mi own band called Dread at the Control and it include horns. I'll be performing as I've always done at universities, on some festivals as well as TV performances. But I'm working on a new album before mi goh England, and this haffi come out by May", he added.

Reflecting on his JBC days when people would stay up all night to hear the latest reggae and dub vibes, he asserted that his was an effort that took reggae to another level, as in those days radio was programmed to fit into a foreign format.

"My show was from midnight to 4:30am and it went for two years on JBC. Before dat dem use to sey nuh body nuh listen to radio after midnight, but dat was because the music dem was playing, was boring. But me had di formula fi mek Jamaica wake up and jump off di map," echoed Mikey Dread.

"Dem days" he continued, "as you know yourself, reggae was not the priority music on the radio stations. What I did was to find a target audience and project my programme towards that audience. And in doing that I captured a new constituency of listeners that was completely mesmerised by what was happening on radio.

My show put more life into night time radio as well as reggae music because people would just stay up and tape my show from it start til finish. Nobody nuh miss it (the show) because mi a play dub plate with sound effects weh nuh other discjockey could play," he reminisced. The show's phenomenal success essentially birthed the bootleg cassette trend.

After his stint on radio Mikey Dread ventured into recording, one of his earliest efforts being Weatherman Skanking in combination with Ray I (a remake is presently in the works) for producer Carlton Patterson, for whom he also recorded his best known song, Barber Saloon. He then migrated to England where he continued his pursuit in radio, but with more recordings to come, including another popular track, Love the Dread.

Campbell has, over the years, earned more than his fair share of bragging rights. While in England, after graduating from the National School of Broadcasting with qualifications in presentation and production, he continued to break down walls.

He was employed by the Central TV-London as presenter/researcher/narrator for a six-part television documentary series - Deep Roots Music that was aired nationally and across Europe. He created and produced Jungle Signal used as the soundtrack and signature tune for Deep Roots Music for Channel 4, UK.

Still at the control, Mikey Dread produced The Clash's first production, Bank Robber/Rockers Galore UK Tour(on Epic Records) which charted at number 12 on the UK charts, the highest chart entry for that group.

He is featured in the video for the Bank Robber, produced by CBS Records. He also co-produced several tracks on Clash's Sandinista album, voted the Best Rock Record in 1981 and for which he also co-wrote and performed on five of the tracks.

He then went on to produce the Japanese rock band Anarchy, visited and performed in Japan with The Mods. Toured Europe and Scandinavia as support artiste for UB40 for whom he produced ten dub tracks.

"The British people dem and the people dem around the world love me and respect me to the ground that I walk on. Since mi leave Jamaica, mi goh back goh study radio broadcasting in England at the National Broadcasting School. And mi have mi own live show on Channel 4.

Worked on Spectrum International Radio in Brent Cross in England. Mi is the first person to put a reggae programme in Holland called Rockers In The Morning on VPRO Radio, you can go on the Internet...people selling the cassette.

And mi also go to the university of Florida," said the former student of CAST(College of Arts, Science and Technology) now University of Technology (UTech) and Titchfield High School, where he got his first taste of broadcasting on Radio Titchfield operated by the school.

With all of that, the Mikey Dread is still not prepared to rest on his laurels. His dream is to own and operate a radio station in his native parish. "Mi want a license to run a radio station in Portland. If Ochi (Ocho Rios) can ave one, mi waan one inna Porti," he insisted.
Think it can't work? Don't sleep

"New York was a culture shock for me, because I was, like, walking in Greenwich Village, and I would see a man with a leash, like you would put on a dog, on another man and draggin' him along. I never seen that before in my lifeit freaked the 'ell out of me," recalls Mikey Dread with bubbly bemusement over the phone from a tour stop in California.

We're discussing his impressions of Gotham's cultural hoi poloi, circa 1980-81, when the Jamaican broadcaster/producer/performer was in town for the recording sessions that would make him a familiar and revered name with a group of fans very different from those he was used to in his homeland. At the time, seminal rockers The Clash were recording the follow-up to their landmark London Calling, the troubled masterpiece Sandinista. As longtime fans of reggae, having already worked with Lee Perry and incorporated the genre's riddims and imagery into songs like Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves" or their own "White Man in Hammersmith Palais," they brought Dread on board as a hired gun.

"Then there'd be some guys with a big safety-pin from one side of their mouth straight through to the other side," continues Dread with a kind of chuckling astonishment that makes you think he just saw it yesterday. "And through their eyebrow, and... this was, like, scary man. The cats in the Clash would tell me, 'Don't stare at them, just keep walking.'"
Dread breaks out into laughter.

Steering the conversation away from the questionable behaviour and attire of New Yorkers, I ask Dread about the musical milieu that boiled over the city back thenthe nascent punk, hip hop, new wave and electro-pop scenes that all seeped into the sprawling sounds of The Clash's three-record set.

"Well, really and truly, I didn't care about New York and their music," Dread says dismissively. Sure enough, a b-side he penned for the group, "Rocker's Delight," declared the supremacy of reggae in answer to the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight."

"I was more trying to push reggae, like an ingredient that I was trying to put in every concoction," he explains, "I wanted to introduce it to everyone, like [breaks into huckster rap], 'Yo, you need to try some of this man. It's good [and] it's going to last longer than any rock record, this is going to break new barriers. You might not think it's worthwhile now, but you're going to be a hero, blah, blah, blah.' CBS [The Clash's record company] didn't like the idea, but when they started moving units, they had to think about that."

It certainly wasn't the firstor lasttime he got people thinking about his beloved music.

Remote Control

Born in 1948 in Port Antonio, Jamaica, Dread, aka Michael Campbell, showed a proclivity for technology and musica blend that later defined his signature soundat an early age. Although well versed in traditional ska and calypso, Dread soon became enamoured of the slowed-down, nationalistic rasta stylings of reggae. Around the age of 12, he began running with mobile soundsystems, honing an ear for all genressoul, R&B, funkas his crew catered to any given hire's tastes. Perhaps the most important development for him career-wise during this period, though, came to pass after he became a student at Pitchfield High School.

"I started the first [all] Jamaican radio station ever," he claims. "I worked with my master [teacher]. He knows I was very into physics and broadcasting, so we worked with the physics department and built a transmitter and got a license. So, for a five-mile radius we had Radio Pitchfield; we could play music and read the weather and things like that, you know? It was just small-timeI didn't know that one day I would be doing this for a career."

But that's exactly what happened. With the goal of becoming a transmitter engineer, he went to work with the Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) in 1976. While working as a tech in the two-person on-air booth, though, Dread's life took on a decidedly different path.

"When I realized what was being played on the radioI had to spend six months in the console room just to study the signalsI didn't like the way Jamaican radio was being formatted... I still don't. Most of the people who program the radio cater to foreigners more than the local people. When they play a foreign record the royalties go right back to foreign; Jamaica is suffering from an economical problem. So why not make the BMI/ASCAP royalties stay in Jamaica?" he asks, referring to two predominant performance rights organizations that collect on behalf of artists, equivalent to Canada's SOCAN. "When I listen to what they're playing, it's like I'm not in Jamaica... it could be Miami or Toronto, it could be anywhere... but it does not identify with the target audience. How can you build the culture and the morale of a society when the people do something that is internationally accepted and your own culture tries to beat them downnon-supportive to their creativity and their outreach, y'know?"

In those days, the JBC signed off at midnight and didn't resume programming again until 5 am. Seeing an opportunity, Dread convinced his bosses to let him use the vacant time and thus was born, amazingly enough, Jamaica's first all-reggae program, "Dread at the Controls."

"From twelve 'til 4:30 am, every time people hear me, they know that's my show, that's Dread at the Controls," he recalls. "They're not going to hear no soul, they're not going to hear no foreign musicthey're going to hear 100 per cent reggae music."

By the following year, despite the graveyard slot, DATC became the nation's number one show, and Mikey was awarded Top Radio Personality, '77-'78.

And, by 1979, he had resigned, citing interference and "envy and uneasiness" by the station brass as the cause.

"Yeah, they went back and forced me to play like, one American, one this, one that, one soul, some calypso and some 'uptown' reggae, which I feel is too commercialJamaican artists trying to get signed to CBS or Sony music. Watered down, crappy reggae," he says with disgust.

Sub: London Calling

Short-lived as it was, DATC's impact was profound. Besides breaking new artists, both regionally and internationallyhis push of the dub plate "Uptown Top Rankin" (unreleased test track) by a teen duo called Althea & Donna eventually helped land it at the top of the UK chartsDread also honed his craft as a recording artist. Tutored by dub "alchemist" King Tubby, Dread scoured the JBC's library, lifting sound effects used by the drama department, littering both his broadcasts and recordings with jingles, spacey sounds, and other found audio "objects."

Soon, he started charting on his own across the Atlantic, with singles like "Barber Saloon," "Step by Step," and "Love the Dread," leading to the call-up by Strummer and Co.

"I didn't know who they were," he says of The Clash. "The first one we did was [the single] 'Bankrobber.' They were singing punk, which I didn't like. So I tell them, 'Try the reggae style.' After that, they came down to Jamaica to do Sandinista, but we just couldn't get more than one song recorded'Junco Partner'we did that at Channel One [Studio].' They wanted to record were I was recording, in the ghettoand when I took themwhite mento the ghetto, everybody wanted to see some foreigners playing reggae music, this was the greatest thrill for them. So, everyday the studio was full of people. It was getting crazy, I couldn't even see them in the studio because there were so many people in there. So we moved New York, and then a whole bunch of producers came on board, so I just produced five or six tracks and put my voice on them."

Once again, although relatively brief, his culture-clash collaboration with the banda hitherto unheard-of mash of dub, reggae, rap, and rockcaused reverberations still felt in popular music today. He may have not have been appreciative of hip hop then, but today he proudly rattles of names like Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy, and Mobb Depp, as well as Wynton Marsalis and the Orb, as a few examples of those who "sampled Mikey Dread."

"[It] started a new generation of rock groups, foreign groups, [who] said, 'Well okay, that's how they do itI'm going to try my own style.'"

Complete Control

Dread admits that his music "hasn't changed that much" over the years. His current modus operandi seems to be twofold: constant touring and spreading the word of traditional roots reggae; and securing his legacy, most notably in getting back the rights to his back catalog. This includes a triumvirate of discs released during his incredibly prolific period between 1979-80Dread at the Controls, African Anthem Dubwise, and World War IIIthat most reggae completists would regard as essential listening.

"I went back to school because I was robbed by the record companies," Dread charges. "I sued those record companies and banned them from putting out any more of my records. They did a good thing for me, because I had had to step back and go to school and learn about copyright law, about management, about what is my intellectual property. So I understand the industry now. Now my label, Dread at the Controls, is releasing my catalog, a little at a time.

"I'm selling lots of CDs, playing lots of concerts, and a lot of people are still discovering me. Maybe early on I could have gone commercial and been signed to a major label, but I don't think my career would have been as long lasting. For now, I have no regrets about nothing. I'm not even breaking even, but I'm happy."

This is the new Official Mikey Dread Myspace Page. If you would like to contact Mikey just leave a message or email. We will be updating this page and blog while on the road to give you an insight into Mikey Dread and the Dread at the Controls Band.