Ranking Dread (b. either Winston Brown or Robert Blackwood) grew up in the ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica. He became famous for his work as a deejay with the sound Ray Symbolic in the 70's.
By the mid 80's he had released three critically acclaimed deejay albums (the first two being produced by Linval Thompson, a dub record and a whole heap of discos and singles for various producers such as Sugar Minott, Dennis Brown, Junior Delgado, Errol Dunkley and of course himself. His biggest hit, Fattie Boom Boom, topped the charts in 1981 with its humorous lyrics about over sized women.
After that he seemingly disappeared and sought a criminal career.
Ranking Dread was, under the name of Bowyark, known to be one of Englands most dangerous yardies. He was presumably murdered by poison in prison 1996.
Girls Fiesta | 1978 | Burning Sounds | BS 1025 | LP | |
Kunta Kinte Roots | 1979 | Burning Rockers | BS 1037 | LP | |
Kunta Kinte Roots | 1979 | Burning Sounds | BS 1037 | LP | |
Disco EP Showcase | 1980 | Art & Craft | ACD 006 | Tracks; My Liza / Same Thing / Hard Times Leave My Life / Jah Walk Through Galilee. Production by Ranking Joe & S. Douglas … Released as transparent yellow and red vinyl | LP |
Lots Of Loving | 1980 | Stand Firm | FSLP-01 | Pre-release. Same as Freedom Sounds? AE1232 as AE-number | LP |
Lots Of Loving | 1980 | Tad's | SSLP 001 | LP | |
Lots Of Loving | 1980 | Freedom Sounds | FSLP 001 | LP | |
Ranking Dread In Dub | 1982 | Silver Camel | SCLP 002 | SCLP03? | LP |
Lots Of Loving | 1997 | Jah Life | GOCD 5013 | CD | |
Ranking Dread In Dub | 2004 | Silver Kamel | SKCD 024 | CD | |
Ranking Dread In Dub | 2004 | Silver Kamel | SKLP 001 | LP | |
Lots Of Loving | 198x | Jah Life | … | LP | |
Lots Of Loving | xxxx | Freedom Sounds | FSLP 001 | LP | |
2 Dread Inna Babylon (with Massive Dread) | 2006 | Silver Kamel | SKLP 002 | LP | |
2 Dread Inna Babylon (with Massive Dread) | 2006 | Silver Kamel | SKCD 028 | CD |
Holding On (with Errol Dunkley) / Ranking Dub | 1978 | Burning Sounds | BSD 022 | |
That Little Girl (with Errol Dunkley), Illie Back Skank / That Little Girl Dub | 1979 | Jamaica Sounds | JSD 919 | Prod by Dunkley and RD |
Palaving Spree (with Errol Dunkley) / Version | 1979 | Third World | TWDIS 37 | Produced by Errol Dunkley |
Rush Me No Badness (with Errol Dunkley) / Version | 1979 | Earthquake | EQ 1000 | Mislabeled as Cornell Campbell - Sweet Baby |
Rush Me No Badness (with Errol Dunkley) / Version | 1979 | DEB | DEB 027 | Prod by Dunkley |
African Girl (with Sugar Minott) / African Girl Version | 1980 | Live & Love | LLDIS 113 | |
I Don't Want To Be No General (Dennis Brown) / General | 1980 | DEB | DEB 039 | Produced by Dennis Brown |
I Don't Want To Be No General (Dennis Brown) / General | 2004 | DEB | BMDEB 039 | re-issue |
My Liza & Same Thing Happen / First Cut & Wha We Do | 1980 | Freedom Sounds | FSD 022 | |
My Liza / Same Thing Happen | 1980 | Freedom Sounds | FSD 022 | |
Live Together (Dave Robinson) / One Destination (with Dave Robinson) | 1980 | Live & Love | LLDIS 112 | Ranking Dread is uncredited on the B-side. Production by Errol Dunkley. |
Love Is A Hurting Thing (Religious Foundation)(with The Gaylads) / Hurting (Black Roots Players) | 1980 | Black Roots | BR 002 | Prod by Sugar Minott |
You Really Don't Love Me (with Junior Delgado) / I Want You (Radic) | 1980 | Sound-Off | SOFD 006 | Produced by Junior Delgado & J. B. |
Love A Dub / Dub A Dub (Roots Radics Band & Jackie Mittoo) | 1981 | Greensleeves | GRED 57 | Mix and Prod by RD |
Fattie Boom Boom / Dub Boom | 1981 | Greensleeves | GRED 65 | Mixed by Scientist at King Tubby's |
Poor Man Story / Poor Man Dub | 1981 | Live & Love | LLDIS 119 | Produced and arranged by Ranking Dread |
Use Me (Diana) / Abusive Dub (Roots Radics) | 1981 | Silver Camel | SC 006 | Produced by Ranking Dread, he does not feature. |
Ity Tity (with Junior Delgado) / Version | 1981 | Yvonne's Special | YS-001 | Junior Delgado & Dennis Brown production |
Give Me What I Want, Last Train To Africa / Jerusalem, Jah Give I Love (all? Songs with Winston Godling) | 1981 | Starlight | SLD-510 | A1 - Frankie Jones - Give Me What Me Want (also released as a disco on J&F) A2 - Nazarene (Prince Alla) - Last Train To Africa (also released as a disco on Generation), B1 - Prince Alla - Jerusalem, B2 - Prince Alla - Jah Give I Love |
Shut Me Mouth / Shut Up Shut Up | 1982 | Greensleeves | GRED 82 | Mix and Prod by RD |
If Nanny Was Here / Nanny Was Here (Horsemouth & Wallace) | 1982 | Greensleeves | GRED 91 | Mix and Prod by RD |
My Mammy / Mammy Mammy (Ranking All-Stars) | 1982 | Greensleeves | GRED 96 | Mix and Prod by RD |
My Mammy / Revival Time | 1982 | Tad's | TRD 271081 | Prod by Tad Dawkins |
Gate Man / Gate Man Fashion | 1983 | Body Music | BMDIS 7 | Ranking Dread & Tappa Zukie production |
Old Lady Of Stokey | 1984 | Body Music | BMDIS 10 | |
Bandulu & Hard Time (both with Cornell Campbell) / Bandulu & Hard Time (Walkner.Möstl RMX) | 2002 | Select Cuts | SC 6008 | |
Emmanuell God Is With Us & Emmanuell Version (both Dennis Brown) / General (10") | 2002 | Glimmer | GLM 1007 | 10", Written and produced by Dennis Brown. Published by D.E.B. Music. 1978/1979 Dennis Brown. |
Wah We Do / Wah We Dub | 198x | Live & Love | LLDIS 118 | Release in either 80 or 81 |
Lots Of Loving / Loving Devotion | 198x | Tad's | TRD LP 21881 | |
Sting Stang Champion | 198x | Crystal | CR 006 | RD & Jackie Mittoo production. Also known as Stung Champion (Hot Milk-rhythm) on the '85 Jakki compilation with Hot Milk tracks |
Dog Man Style / Version | 198x | Super Duper | SD 151 | |
When The Saints / My Mommy | 198x | Tad's | … | |
Pretty Brown Eyes / Pretty Brown Dub | 19xx | Embassy Records | RSD 001 | Produced and arranged by Ranking Dread. |
London Thing | 1979 | Burning Sounds | BS 040 | |
Fattie Boom Boom | 1981 | Greensleeves | FATTIE 1 | Picturesleeve. Production by RD, mix by Scientist at Tubbys. |
Superstar | 198x | Youth Promotions | … | Prod by Lincoln Minott |
Superstar | 1981 | Black Roots | BR 031 | Prod by Lincoln Minott |
Death Trap / Version | 197x | Thompson | … | Prod by Linval Thompson, also known as Natty On The Rock on the Girls Fiesta-album. |
Love & Devotion / Stylelily | 1998 | Hi-Power US | HP 171 | Mixed by Collin (Bulby) York, Stilelily is also known as Lots of Loving. Label-/Cataloguenumber HP 0071 |
V/A - Rocking Feeling | 1979 | Burning Vibrations | BR 10001 | Tracks; Leaving Out Of Babylon | LP |
V/A - It's Reggae Time | 1979 | Burning Sounds/Music Distributor | F 1000 | Tracks; Girls Fiesta, Kunta Kinte Roots | LP |
V/A - Unity Is Strength | 1981 | Park Heights | PH LP 002 | Tracks; Time Get So Hard | LP |
V/A - Whole New Generation Of DJ | 1981 | Greensleeves | GREL 26 | Tracks; Jean Green | LP |
V/A - Shank I Sheck Vol. 1 | 1982 | Tad's | TRD LP 41381 | Tracks; Shank I Sheck. Produced by Tad Dawkins & Ranking Joe | LP |
V/A - Forward (Greensleeves Top Singles) | 1983 | Greensleeves | GREL 60 | Tracks; Fattie Boom Boom | LP |
V/A - Shank I Sheck | 1983 | Vista | VSLP 2003 | Tracks; Shank I Sheck | LP |
Version Studio (Jackie Mittoo) | 1985 | Jakki | J 0026C | Tracks; Stung Champion | LP |
I Shall Not Remove (Cornell Campbell) | 2000 | Blood & Fire | BAFCD 030 | Tracks; Bandulu - Hard Time (with Cornell Campbell) | CD |
I Shall Not Remove (Cornell Campbell) | 2000 | Blood & Fire/Simply Vinyl | … | Tracks; Bandulu - Hard Time (with Cornell Campbell) | LP |
Rockers From Channel One (Linval Thompson & V/A) | 2000 | Trojan | CDTRL 441 | Tracks; Natty On The Rock, Marijuana In My Soul, Africa, Poor Man | CD |
V/A - A Place Called Africa (Songs Of The Lost Tribe) | 2002 | Trojan | TJDDD 041 | Tracks; Africa | CD |
V/A - The Biggest Dancehall Anthems | 2002 | Greensleeves | GREZCD 4101 | Tracks; Fattie Boom Boom, Love A Dub | CD |
V/A - The Biggest Dancehall Anthems Part 1 | 2002 | Greensleeves | … | Tracks; Fattie Boom Boom | LP |
V/A - The Biggest Dancehall Anthems Part 2 | 2002 | Greensleeves | … | Tracks; Love A Dub | LP |
The Promised Land (Dennis Brown) | 2002 | Blood & Fire | BAFCD 039 | Tracks; General | CD |
The Promised Land (Dennis Brown) | 2002 | Blood & Fire/Simply Vinyl | … | Tracks; General | LP |
V/A - Trojan Ganja Reggae Box Set | 2003 | Trojan | TJETD 102 | Tracks; Marijuana In My Soul | CD |
V/A - Spirit Of Ragga | 2003 | Wagram Music | A1098? | Tracks; Fattie Boom Boom | CD |
V/A - This Is Crucial Reggae - The Deejays | 2005 | Trojan | Tracks; Marijuana In My Soul | CD | |
The Roots Lover (Sugar Minott) | 2006 | Moll Selekta | MS 14 | Tracks; Superstar | CD |
V/A - Best Of Vintage (The Original Singers) | … | Joe Gibbs | … | Tracks; Junkin Master | CD |
V/A - Forward (Greensleeves Top Singles) | … | Greensleeves | GRELCD 60 | Tracks; Fattie Boom Boom | CD |
Linval Thompson & Friends Featuring Sly & Robbie, & The Revolutionaries Volume 2 | xxxx | Thompson Sound | … | Tracks; Africa, Natty On The Rock | LP |