DREAD AT THE CONTROL
INTERVIEW WITH MIKEY DREAD
(by Marco Virgona)


Marco Virgona: How did you get into the music business?
Mikey Dread: I always had a love for reggae music from I was a child and growing up, I became fascinated with sound systems so one day I visited my friend Howard Golding in Port Antonio where I was living and began my career by studying the records, the artistes and the labels in his collection to know which songs were good to dance to and which songs had a nice dub on the B-side.The first sound system I played was called ?Safari Disco? but it was not a disco sound but a reggae sound. I then set up a radio station (Radio Titchfield) at my high school in Port Antonio, Portland. Titchfield High School and had a broadcasting license to broadcast to a 5 mile radius around the neighborhood everyday. We had a lot of curious listeners and that was the only High School radio station I know existed in Jamaica . It was from here that I decided I would push reggae music on Radio. I later applied for a job at JBC and the rest is history. I later met King Tubby the King of Dub and he taught me a lot about music production and mixing and encouraged me to record myself and start my record label.
Marco: What are your plans for future works?
MD: I will be playing at least 5 live concerts in Italy during the second week in March (March 9-13) 2005. Please check my website for dates and venues (www.mikeydread.com). Other Italian promoters interested should contact me at mikey@mikeydread.com to secure their dates. I am planning on doing more touring with my band, re-releasing my back-catalog of reggae hits and finding and producing more new artists. I am getting into digital video and will launch a TV reggae show soon, either on the internet or syndicated on TV around the world. I have a new DVD coming out in 2005 of Mikey Dread live in Paris with a lot of interesting behind the scenes footage. All of my music will be available again Also older albums that were released on vinyl like ?Dread At the Controls? will be released on CD for the first time with bonus tracks, plus Dub Merchant, Dub Catalog, Jungle signal and a lot of 10 inch records will be available like Roots and Culture, Jumping Master, African Anthem(original version on vinyl) and other classics like His Imperial Majesty by Rod Taylor, One God by Earl 16 and Badman Posee by Junior Murvin. The new Mikey Dread single: ?Natural Rasta? will be released in February 2005 before I go on the road again. World War III and Rockers Vibration is now available on vinyl and, the original version of African Anthem will be available in late December on the Dread At the Controls label.

Marco: Do you have any message for your fans?
MD: Yes.They should not get caught up with the Dance hall hype and slackness but should tune in more to the real roots and culture tunes, lovers rock, and Dubwise vibes of reggae and maintain the positive consciousness that reggae roots embraces. This is the true authentic sounds of Jamaica and is here to stay. They should also send a million emails to sunsplash@rototom.com and ask why is it that this Festival deliberately discriminate against Mikey Dread and demand that this organization books Mikey Dread and his band without prejudice, because in Reggae we don?t need bad vibes and discrimination only ?one Love? all the way around as well as equal opportunity for all. If they don?t see me play that Festival in 2005 or anytime soon, then they will see for themselves that the discrimination is continuing. I want to reach out and thank all the other Reggae Promoters and sound-systems in Italy for inviting Mikey Dread in the past to come and represent the Roots and Culture vibes in Italy and so far every Mikey Dread event in Italy has been a success. Thanks to all Mikey Dread Italian supporters. Big Up.

Marco: What is your memory about the time you worked at JBC? Is it true that Bob's music was banned at JBC and RJR during the 70's ?
MD: It was my original idea to keep JBC radio going after mid night because they usually sign-off the station at 12 midnight and resume broadcasting at 4:30am with a religious program called ?Back To the Bible?. I asked my boss Rupert Linton and Ossie Harvey to let me run the radio after midnight to which they agreed but the stipulation was that I do it from Monday to Saturday with only one day off per week. At that time no one at JBC believed there was a huge radio audience after midnight, because they neglected it for decades until I arrived so when my program started and people found out that they could hear all this dub and reggae music throughout the night , it became an immediate success. During my time on Jamaican Radio(1976-1979) my main interest was to push and promote Reggae music and dub at every opportunity. My show Dread At The Controls on JBC was dedicated to reviving the deteriorating Jamaica music industry, putting more emphasis on music made in Jamaica by Jamaicans and giving reggae Artists, Musicians, Producers, engineers, Record labels and Studios the airplay and exposure they required to get their music and productions to the Jamaican Radio listeners and to reggae music lovers abroad. During time of my Dread At the Controls Radio show on JBC Radio (Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation) the crime rate in Jamaica fell because most of the rude boys were busy listening and taping my radio show with the latest dubplates and new releases and unreleased records instead of on the street making trouble!!! As far as I can remember during my time on JBC Radio there was no Bob Marley tune that was banned so I can?t say this was true. Tuff Gong did have like a weekly Feature that they sponsored that showcased their music on JBC and was hosted by Errol Thompson (another JBC DJ) in the late 70s. I sometimes was the Technical Operator on this program but had nothing to do with the show other than play the records.

Marco: In 1979 you performed at Reggae Sunsplash and surely met Bob Marley. Can you tell us something about Bob?
MD: Yes I performed at Reggae Sunsplash that year along with all the great Reggae acts because my tune ?Barber Saloon? was number one on the Radio and music charts for over 12 weeks all over Jamaica and was getting noticed in England and that was a crucial time as Jamaica was bursting with energy. Bob Marley was like every other Jamaican reggae artist trying to reach out to the world through his music but his foreign successes were not heralded in the Jamaican news-papers therefore most Jamaicans were not up to date on his overseas success and his accomplishments. I respect the man for his positive message and determination to set the facts straight. During this time I was more closer to Jacob Miller from Inner Circle who usually visited me and brought me his music at JBC Radio while I was on the air nightly from 12 midnight until 4:30am the next day.

Marco: Can you tell us how and where you and Bob met first time?
MD: I met Bob Marley during the late 1970s around 1978/79 while I was recording "Dread At the mantrol" for Le Perry. He came there to the studio in Washington Gardens at Scratch's house where Lee Perry had his Black Ark studio, and Scratch introduced us. At the time we both had heard of each other but had never met. The vibes was positive and good. Bob was a down to earth person and was at the heights of his career. He never forgot the people from the ghetto and was known to be always giving. One thing I need to add is that if it was not for Bob Marley none of us reggae artist could ever play outside of Jamaica like we do now because he paved the way for all of us to continue this journey and for Rasta to get recognition in and outside of Jamaica. I still feel he deserves more recognition in Jamaica as when I travel foreigners know more about him and his music and mission than the average Jamaican. A lot of tourists visit Jamaica or buy reggae music because if their love for Bob so whichever way you look at it, it's still Bob and his influence on world music and politics and the human struggle that still reach out to the peoples of the world and to countless people across the globe who can identify themselves with it. Today we have no leader who is for peace or who the people are proud of. We do no longer have a role model. We are just existing as he says "on borrowed time". Bob Marley took reggae music around the world through his connection with Island Records and all that multimillion dollar promotion, contacts with the media, booking agencies, marketing and investments that no other reggae artist has ever seen or been able to achieve. Marley?s lyrics, live performances and recordings has continued to build new reggae audiences around the globe and his empire is expanding even decades after his death. I would like to see the world embrace the musicians who played /created and recorded the music with Bob. He did not do it alone and in my opinion the musicians who contributed to his success deserves more than what the world has given them. Someone should award Family man with a major award for creating such ever living bass lines, his brother Carly Barrett for that infectious one drop drum beat, and Wire Lindo, Tyrone Downie and the others for their outstanding contribution to the Marley empire. You just can?t ignore their contribution and creativity in making Marley become the icon he is today. That is my opinion. It is unfair to credit Bob alone when the whole group contributed to the success of his musical legacy because without the musical accompaniment that Bob?s music was given by the Wailers the lyrics alone would not have been so impactful.

Mikey Dread has taken reggae music around the globe by being the first Reggae Radio DJ and setting the stage for Radio DJs in other countries to build on this empire and establish their own Reggae radio broadcasting programs in their own countries and spread the reggae message. Without Reggae on the Radio most people would not know that there are other reggae artist other than Marley, so I feel I have give an opportunity for others to be heard and for the music to live on in regions where they have no direct access to the Jamaican music scene and the radio is their only portal to who is who and what is going on in Reggae. Many listeners hear music that they don?t have in their collection on the radio and this inspires them to go out and support the artists either at live concerts or just buying their music. Without my creation of The Dread At the Controls Reggae Radio show, I am not sure what the world would be like today as there were other DJs on the Radio in Jamaica and around the world in the mid 70s but they did not consider Reggae as an important music to play and establish on their radio shows, so Jah gave Mikey Dread the vision to pursue this endeavor and I am forever thankful that I listened to the voice of Jah and not followed the other Radio DJs but created my own Reggae Broadcasting format which has been imitated but never duplicated around the world. If I had not taken on this work reggae would had died and Jamaicans would have lost one of their most cultural heritage. Whereas Island Records was only into promoting and establishing Bob Marley my radio show ?Dread At The Controls? gave ALL reggae artists/promoters/producers/writers/studios /engineers and musicians an equal opportunity to let their music be heard from then until the future Long live the King-Bob Marley Jah Bless Thanks for your email and for establishing the Bob Marley site. We would appreciate a link to our site: http://www.mikeydread.com on your site.

If you are around when I come to play in Italy please come through and identify yourself. I must also thank you and your organization for your support of Reggae music. Nuff raspect. Mikey

Mikey Dread
Tel: 727-455-5958

http://www.mikeydread.com
http://www.datcreggae.com
mikey@mikeydread.com

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Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy, your search for happiness will never end (bob marley)