One of the first British reggae artists to embrace dancehall, Sammy Dread (born: Stewart Farquaharson) has continued to take a hard-edged, roughhouse, approach to reggae. While he scored minor solo hits with "Talk It Over" and "Trying To Conquer Natty Dreadlocks", and an album, Stereophonic, recorded with Philip Frazer in 1980, Dread's best work has been produced in collaboration with such reggae artists as Sugar Minnot, Black Roots and InI Oneness. The title track of his 1995 album, Road Block, was covered by London-born and United States-based vocalist/rapper, Shinehead.

Dread joined with Peter Rankin and Smokey Dread, in April 1981, for an album-length "battle" between competing Jamaican sound system companies, BlackStar vs. King Jammys.