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Biography


Winston McAnuff

 

Winston McAnuff, also known under the stage name Electric Dread (born 1957 or 1958[1] in Manchester, Jamaica) is a Jamaican singer and composer of reggae- and dub music.

 

Life and career[edit]

McAnuff was born in Manchester Parish, Jamaica[2] into a family of preachers. One of his great-grandfathers was Scottish.[1] He started his musical career singing gospels in the church choir. He recorded his first album Pick hits to clickin 1978. Two years later his second album What the man "a" deal wid was released. His best known song from this time is the single "Malcolm X", which was also recorded by Earl Sixteen, and most successfully by Dennis Brown.[2] It was originally recorded by McAnuff for Joe Gibbs but the producer decided not to release it, and he got Earl Sixteen to record it before the song was given to Dennis Brown who recorded it for his Visions of Dennis Brown album.[3]The song was the subject of a legal dispute in 2013 between McAnuff and Greensleeves Records after the record label allegedly registered the song as co-written by Brown.[4] A third studio albumElectric Dread, was released in 1986.[5]

Although McAnuff had reasonable fame in Jamaica, none of his work was released elsewhere. It wasn't until 2002 that his work was released in Europe. In 2002 the French record label Makasound released the first two albums and a compilation album Diary of the Silent Years. The release of the albums revived McAnuff's career, notably in France.[6]

In 2005 McAnuff released the album A Drop, which he recorded with the French keyboard player Camille Bazbaz. This record displays a mix of rockfunkdub and punk rock.[7] A year later, in 2006, a new album Paris' Rocking, which he recorded with Java and other French session musicians, was released.[8] His last album,Nostradamus, was released in 2008. The album was a concept album about the predictions of Nostradamus.[9]

In 2011, he took part in Les Échos Du Temps the latest album of Danakil, a French roots reggae band, on the track "Media" where both he and his son Matthew were featured.[10]

In 2013 he released the album A New Day, a collaboration with French musician Fixi.[2]

McAnuff's nephew is professional footballer Jobi McAnuff.[1]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums
  • Pick Hits to Click (1978)
  • What the Man "a" Deal Wid (1980)
  • Electric Dread (1986)
  • One Love (1995) - a rerelease of What the Man "a" Deal Wid
  • Paris' Rockin' (2006)
  • Nostradamus (2008)
Compilation albums
  • Diary of the Silent Years (2002) - compilation
Joint collaborative albums

 

Winston McAnuff
20140703-TFF-Winston-McAnuff+Fixi-3840.jpg
Winston McAnuff on stage in Rudolstadt (Germany), July 2014
Background information
Born 1957 or 1958
Jamaica
Genres Reggaedubfunk
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar, percussion
Years active 1978–1986, 2005-
Labels Chrystal RecordsMakasound
Associated acts JavaCamille Bazbaz
Website www.myspace.com/winstonmcanuff