Throwback 45s: Sugar Minott – Leggo The Dread

ARTIST: Sugar Minott
TITLE: Leggo The Dread
LABEL: Quality
YEAR: 1978

Before he became one of reggae’s most distinctive voices, Lincoln Barrington “Sugar” Minott got his start at just 16 as part of the vocal trio African Brothers, alongside Tony Tuff and Derrick “Bubbles” Howard. When the group went their separate ways in the mid-1970s, Sugar took the solo route and found himself working with none other than Clement “Coxsone” Dodd at Studio One.

The move paid off. Tunes such as Vanity, Hang On Natty, Mr. DC, and Jah Jah Children brought him increasing attention, but his 1977 debut LP Live Loving was the record that really put Sugar Minott on the map. His second album, 1979’s Showcase, followed with a selection of singles that hadn’t made it onto the debut.

Somewhere in between those two Studio One albums he recorded Leggo The Dread, one of those tunes that shows just how effortlessly Sugar Minott could turn a simple story into compelling reggae. Produced and arranged by Tommy Cowan, the single appeared on the Quality label in 1978.

The riddim is a real winner: mid-tempo, Rockers-style, with a strong organ line riding over a weighty bassline. But it’s the story that gives Leggo The Dread its character. Sugar introduces us to Alfred, an everyday Rastaman trying to earn a living by selling a little herb. He’s not presented as some hardened criminal. He’s just trying to make ends meet. But when the police find herb behind his house, Alfred ends up under arrest. Sugar’s response is simple and direct: leggo the dread.

Delivered in those smooth, soulful vocals that made Sugar Minott such a special singer, the song works on several levels. There’s humour in the storytelling, and you can almost picture the whole scene unfolding. But beneath the light touch is a serious point about justice and compassion. Is locking up Alfred really the answer?

That’s where Leggo The Dread hits hardest. Sugar Minott never turns the song into a heavy-handed lecture. Instead, he lets the story speak for itself, mixing social commentary with humour and plenty of musical warmth. And that was always one of Sugar’s great strengths: he could address a serious subject without making the music feel heavy.

On the B-side, Version The Dread takes us straight into dub territory. The vocal is stripped away, apart from occasional snippets, while reverb and delay take control and the riddim is left to roll on in all its heavyweight glory. A proper companion to the vocal cut, and another reason why this 7″ deserves a place in any vintage reggae collection.