Sugar Minott

Leader For The Pack

Sugar Minott is part of the pantheon of Jamaican roots reggae icons, one of a handful of singers that indelibly changed the course of the music and helped it reach a broader overseas audience. Raised next door to one of Jamaica’s most popular dancehalls, in the heart of a notorious west Kingston slum, Minott joined The African Brothers in the mid-1970s, making an impact with singles for Rupie Edwards, Clive Chin and Micron Music, as well as with self-produced work, but the breakthrough came when Sugar went solo for Studio One, spearheading the reuse of classic rhythms at the facility for new purpose. He later moved away from Studio One to record sparse work for Prince Jammy, Mikey Dread and other smaller producers but the main focus was Black Roots/Youth Promotion, the record label and sound system he established himself. Then, following smash hit “Good Thing Going,” Sugar helped to launch the careers of dancehall stars like Tenor Saw and Nitty Gritty. The Leader For The Pack album was produced by Bunny Lee in 1985 at The Rock studio in London, established by Gibraltarians Danny, Eddy and Henry. Sugar’s first fully synthesized album, it was arranged by Jackie Mittoo and revived classic rhythms of the past with minimal, synth-driven backing, including “Everybody Needs Love” as “This Is Rockers Music,” alongside a great cut of “Sleng Teng” for the title track; “Them Have To Come A We” was co-written by fellow icon, Gregory Isaacs.