Song:Good Thing Going
Album:Nice It Up: The Best Of Sugar Minott
Lincoln Barrington "Sugar" Minott started out as a DJ and developed into one of the innovators of Dancehall Reggae and one of the most popular singers of the 80s, especially in England. He was born May 25, 1956 in Kingston, Jamaica. As a child, he started out as a DJ for the Sound Of Silence Keystone sound system and as a teen had his own Gathering Of Youth sound system. In 1969, he made the transition to singing with The African Brothers along with Tony Tuff and Derrick Howard. They were very successful through the mid-70s working with Studio One producer Coxsone Dodd. The African Brothers split up in 1975 but Minott continued to work with Dodd as a solo artist. Minott became known for writing new lyrics to existing songs which was usually done at live shows but not in the studio. This was a key development in the Dancehall style and it cemented Minott as an innovator. He recorded very successfully in Jamaica but when his 1980 album Roots Lovers shifted to lovers rock, he became even more popular in England. Good Thing Going was his biggest hit and reached #4 on the British Singles chart. The song is a reworking of a 1971 Michael Jackson song. Minott moved to England to take advantage of his success and also discovered and produced Musical Youth. He moved back to Jamaica and continued to record his own albums and produce other artists on his Black Roots label until his death on July 10, 2010 at age 54. He had cancelled some shows due to a heart condition. If you've never heard Sugar Minott, this comp is a perfect intro to his music. Here's Sugar Minott performing Good Thing Going on Top Of The Pops 1981.
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