Lee “Scratch” Perry

Lee "Scratch" Perry
Lee Perry performing in Munich, 2016
Background information
Birth name	Rainford Hugh Perry
Also known as	Pipecock Jackson The Upsetter
Born	(1936-03-20) 20 March 1936 (age 81) Kendal, Jamaica
Genres	Dub reggae, ska, rocksteady, jungle, electronic
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, producer, inventor
Years active	1958–present
Labels	Upsetter, Black Art, Trojan
Associated acts	The Upsetters, Beastie Boys

Lee "Scratch" Perry OD (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936) is a Jamaican music producer and inventor 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 has worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, the Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, the Beastie Boys, Ari Up, and many others.

Perry was born in Kendal in the parish of Hanover, the third child of Ina Davis and Henry Perry. His mother had strong African traditions originating from her Yoruba ancestry that she passed on to her son. He later moved to Kingston where he apprenticed at Studio One.

Perry's musical career began in the late 1950s as a record seller for Clement Coxsone Dodd's sound system. As his sometimes turbulent relationship with Dodd developed, he found himself performing a variety of important tasks at Dodd's Studio One hit factory, going on to record nearly thirty songs for the label. Disagreements between the pair due to personality and financial conflicts led him to leave the studio and seek new musical outlets. He soon found a new home at Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records.