Lee Scratch Perry
Reggae’s Mad Scientist: Our 1985 Feature on Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
This article was originally published in the May 1985 issue of SPIN. In light of Perry’s death, we’re republishing it here. When people said to Bob Marley that his friend Lee “Scratch” Perry was mad, Marley would reply, “Him not mad, him just Scratch.” They were not always persuaded. Indeed, one of Mr. Perry’s several epithets is “The Mad Scientist,” which took on its true meaning when he trashed his Black Art recording studios in Kingston, Jamaica, and spent several months planting small black crosses on every available square inch of his property. He also changed his name to Pipecock Jackson for a short time and for no apparent reason. “It’s great to be mad . . . it’s a pleasure,” cackles Lee. We are squashed together in the tiny back room of a North London record shop, drinking cooking ...
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Reggae Legend and Dub Pioneer, Dies at 85
Lee “Scratch” Perry, the highly influential reggae musician and producer, has died at the age of 85. Jamaica Observer reports that Perry died at Noel Holmes Hospital in the coastal town of Lucea. No cause of death has been reported. Born in March 1936 in Kendal, Jamaica as Rainford Hugh Perry, Perry’s music career began in the 1950s and in 1968, he’d form his own label, Upsetter Records. With Upsetter, Perry would pioneer dub music, which focused on remixing existing songs to create new instrumental or vocal versions. Perry’s best-known personal work includes “Dreadlocks in Moonlight,” “People Funny Boy,” “Jungle Lion,” “Curly Locks,” “City Too Hot” and “I Am A Mad Man.” On top of his solo output, over the course of his 60-year career, Perry would go on to produce a number of notable artis...
