Andrew Phillip Gregory aka Sluggy Ranks had a car accident in Jamaica on Sunday July 29, 2012. He was taken to Kingston Public Hospital, where he died.
Born and raised in Rae Town Kingston 16 Jamaica, he attended Clan Carthy Primary School and Vauxhall Secondary school. Sluggy Ranks relocated to the United States in 1981, where he resided in Brooklyn, New York. His distinctive voice and talent quickly caught the attention of producers such as Jah life, Park Heights, Whitty, Super Power Records and King Jammy’s. His collaboration with these producers gave him dancehall hits like “95% Black”, “Rough Wine”, “Lightening & Thunder”, “Wages Of Sin”, “Sodom & Gomorrah”, and his signature tune “Ghetto Youth Bust”.
The name Sluggy Ranks was created to counteract the slugs of destruction, murder and chaos; shooting the slugs with righteousness, unity and forgiveness. A legend in the dancehall scene, he was known for his positive cultural lyrics and his unique voice. Sluggy Ranks’ command of the stage has allowed him to travel throughout the U.S., Caribbean and Europe to the delight of many audiences. His ambitious climb in the industry was for, as he put it, “the love of the music and to teach people of all race and religion to Love and Respect each other as they would respect themselves. We have to remember that the youth of today are our future and with them goes the legacy of all mankind.”
The majority of Sluggy Ranks’ most significant output through the ’90s was largely issued on singles. Besides that he had four albums to his name : “Settle Sluggy” produced by Park Heights; “My Time” by produced by Count Shelly for Super Power Records; “Just Call Sluggy” by Whitty, and “Ghetto Youth Bust” by King Jammy’s for Profile International Records. The last album helped to introduce Sluggy to a larger audience outside the dancehall community. In addition, in 1994 he did a compilation CD with Easy Star Records releasing tunes such as “Lightening & Thunder”, “The Coming Of The Lord” and “Ethiopia”.
Sluggy Ranks’ inspiration came from the Almighty and he had great respect and admiration for the late Gregory Isaacs his mentor, Shabba Ranks, Freddy McGreggor, Horace Andy, the late Dennis Brown and the late Garnett Silk. He thus had the determination to maintain the high standard of excellence that these legendary entertainers have set over the years.
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