Doctor Dread
Encyclopedia
Gary Himelfarb aka Doctor Dread, is a reggae
producer who founded RAS Records
. He is notable for his respectful dedication to roots reggae artists; and in turn for helping spread their works and words throughout the world. He has recently launched the website www.MyReggae.com
in 1977. In 1979 he began working as a disc jockey at WHFS
, broadcasting under the name Dr. Dread.Mref name="niceup" /> In the early 1980s he started RAS
Records, initially as a distribution company.
An excellent example of the work of Dr. Dread is the Israel Vibration
three-disk set Power of the Trinity. Here Dr. Dread mixes I-Vibe songs with his interviews of members Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence. The result is a work of profound importance, not least in that it documents the polio outbreak in Jamaica
in the 1950s through the memories of some of its youngest sufferers.
He has worked with many artists including Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle, Gregory Isaacs, Luciano, Mad Cobra, Freddy Mcgregor, Sly and Robbie, Steel Pulse, The Wailers, Bunny Wailer, and many more. For a full list visit www.rasrecords.com and click on link to RAS Artists.
Himelfarb is also a board member of the Association For Independent Music.
Himelfarb lives in Bethesda, Maryland
with his wife and two sons. In his spare time Himelfarb enjoys restoring classic cars.
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
producer who founded RAS Records
RAS Records
RAS Records, also known as Real Authentic Sound, is a reggae record label.-History:RAS Records was founded in 1979 by Doctor Dread. In his travels to Jamaica he created a network within the reggae artist community there. By the early to mid 1980s RAS had signed artists such as Black Uhuru, Inner...
. He is notable for his respectful dedication to roots reggae artists; and in turn for helping spread their works and words throughout the world. He has recently launched the website www.MyReggae.com
Biography
Himelfarb was born in Washington DC in 1954, and first visited JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in 1977. In 1979 he began working as a disc jockey at WHFS
WHFS
WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
, broadcasting under the name Dr. Dread.Mref name="niceup" /> In the early 1980s he started RAS
Records, initially as a distribution company.
An excellent example of the work of Dr. Dread is the Israel Vibration
Israel Vibration
Israel Vibration is a reggae harmony trio, originating from Kingston, Jamaica. Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple Gabriel" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence all overcame childhood polio, and went on to be one of the most successful roots groups to form in Jamaica in the late 1970s...
three-disk set Power of the Trinity. Here Dr. Dread mixes I-Vibe songs with his interviews of members Lascelle "Wiss" Bulgin, Albert "Apple" Craig, and Cecil "Skelly" Spence. The result is a work of profound importance, not least in that it documents the polio outbreak in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in the 1950s through the memories of some of its youngest sufferers.
He has worked with many artists including Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle, Gregory Isaacs, Luciano, Mad Cobra, Freddy Mcgregor, Sly and Robbie, Steel Pulse, The Wailers, Bunny Wailer, and many more. For a full list visit www.rasrecords.com and click on link to RAS Artists.
Himelfarb is also a board member of the Association For Independent Music.
Himelfarb lives in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
with his wife and two sons. In his spare time Himelfarb enjoys restoring classic cars.