Lee Scratch Perry

Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, born Rainford Hugh Perry on March 20, 1936, in Kendal, Jamaica, was a pioneering figure in the evolution of reggae and dub music. His career began in the early 1960s with Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd’s Downbeat Sound System and Studio One, where he held various roles including talent scout, record plugger, songwriter, percussionist, and vocalist. Initially, Perry gained local recognition for singles such as “Roast Duck” and “Mad Head,” and earned his enduring nickname “Scratch” from his 1965 hit, “Chicken Scratch.” These formative years allowed him to cultivate a holistic understanding of music production and the Jamaican music scene.

Perry’s career trajectory saw a significant turning point in 1966 when he started taking control of his recordings. After working with producers like Dodd and Joe Gibbs, he released his influential 1968 single, “People Funny Boy,” which marked a shift towards the reggae sound and enabled him to establish his own label, Upsetter. Throughout the late 1960s, Perry, with his backing band The Upsetters, produced instrumental tracks like “Return of Django,” which further solidified the reggae sound. His collaborations with The Wailers—Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer—in 1970 and 1971 were foundational for roots reggae, resulting in tracks such as “Small Axe” and “Duppy Conquerer,” and significantly shaping Marley’s global sound.

A pivotal achievement in Perry’s career was the establishment of his Black Ark studio in Kingston in 1973. Despite its modest setup with a four-track recorder and specific effects units, Black Ark became a hub for innovation. Here, Perry produced numerous masterworks, including the dub album “Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle” (1973), “Super Ape” (1976), Max Romeo’s “War Ina Babylon” (1976), The Heptones’ “Party Time” (1977), and Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves” (1977). His unique approach to mixing, incorporating ‘found sounds’ and real-time modulation, redefined the role of a studio engineer and left a lasting impact on genres beyond reggae, including rock, hip-hop, and electronic music. Though the Black Ark era concluded with its destruction around the late 1970s, Perry’s influence as an elder statesman continued through collaborations and a critical reappraisal of his extensive work, including a Grammy Award in 2003 for “Jamaican ET.” He remained active and prolific, continuing to release music and tour into his eighties.