Lee Scratch Perry
up:: Art and Music MOC tags:: #people #artist dates:: 1936 - 2021
Lee ”Scratch” Perry OD
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Perry performing in Munich, 2016
The definition of a crazy artist who shifts from genre to genre and time to time. He reminds me of [[ Salvador Dali ]] in some respects because his unwillingness to moderate his expression leaves the audience to figure it out and that may take time so the work stands. It’s similar to the creative minds that tinkered in their labs and studios, running experiments that mostly fail but once in a while something magical happens. He’s different than most mad geniuses because:
- he is black
- he was born poor
- he does not play or read music
- he speaks almost entirely from biblical passages
- he is an evangelist for [[ Rastafarianism ]]
- he sings about the [[ IMF ]]
- he moved to [[ Switzerland ]]
- he relies heavily on Nyabinghi rhythm - Wikipedia
He is important to me personally because there are only a few people that make me proud to be Jamaican and he is one of them (another is [[ Grace Jones ]]. In a more general sense, he is important because he shattered so many stereotypes about reggae musicians and Jamaicans from the wrong side of the track in that he created a uniquely personal world in his black ark studios and when that ran it’s course he relocated to the whitest place on earth, [[ Switzerland ]]
What was the most memorable thing about this person?
Was there something I didn’t agree with here?
What questions would I ask this person ?
What am I now interested in because of this person?
Lee “Scratch” Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae tracks. He worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, The Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, The Clash, The Orb, and many others.