1. Alexander Minto Hughes, better known as Judge Dread, was an English reggae and ska musician.
11 Facts About Judge Dread
1. 2.
Judge Dread was introduced to Jamaican music when he lodged as a teenager in a West Indian household in Brixton, South West London.
3.
Judge Dread was the first white recording artist to have a reggae hit in Jamaica, leading him to travel to Jamaica to perform live, where many were surprised that he was white.
4.
Judge Dread had 11 UK chart hits in the 1970s, which was more than any other reggae artist.
5.
The Guinness Book of World Records credited Judge Dread for having the highest number of banned songs of all time.
6.
Several of his songs mentioned Snodland, the small town in Kent where Judge Dread lived, including "The Belle of Snodland Town".
7.
Judge Dread was a songwriter, coming to the attention of Elvis Presley, who had planned to record "A Child's Prayer" as a Christmas gift to his daughter Lisa Marie in 1977, but died before the scheduled recording date.
8.
Judge Dread helped organise a benefit concert featuring The Wailers and Desmond Dekker and released a benefit single titled "Molly".
9.
Recordings Judge Dread issued under the pseudonyms JD Alex and Jason Sinclair were banned by the BBC.
10.
Judge Dread died from a heart attack as he walked off stage after performing at The Penny Theatre in Canterbury on 13 March 1998.
11.
An off-duty paramedic in the crowd realised that it was not and attempted resuscitation; shortly afterwards Judge Dread was taken to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead.