Died On This Date (August 7, 2012) Ranking Trevor / Reggae Dancehall Pioneer
themusicsover Ranking Trevor (Born Maxwell Grant)
DOB Unknown – August 7, 2012
Ranking Trevor was a Jamaican singer who, during the 1970s, helped popularize the usage of “toasting” which was an early form of rap that eventually gave birth to hip-hop. Ranking Trevor launched his career as a deejay while in his early teens, and by the time he turned 15, he had already cut his first record. Most of Ranking Trevor’s recordings were made at the legendary Channel One studio. His most famous were “Caveman Skank” and “Three Piece Chicken and Chips,” both of which charted in England. Because of his popularity in the UK, he lived there through most of the ’70s and ’80s, but ultimately settled back in Jamaica during the ’90s. On August 7, 2012, Ranking Trevor died from injuries he sustained when he was thrown from his motorcycle during an apparent accident with an automobile. The date of Ranking Trevor’s birth vary from source to source, but most put his age at 60 at the time of his death.