Music producer, musician and reggae legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry has died at the age of 85.
Throughout his extensive career he worked with huge names like Bob Marley.
Local press in Jamaica is reporting that he has died in hospital, but no cause of death has yet been given.
Scratch was renowned as a pioneer of dub and roots reggae styles.
Born Rainford Hugh Perry in Jamaica in 1936, Scratch left school at a young age, once saying: “There was nothing to do except field work, so I started playing dominoes and learned to read the minds of others.”
He got his break into the music industry when he was hired as an assistant by Clement ‘Coxone’ Dodd, who was head of reggae studio and label Studio One, reports MirrorOnline.
Scratch went on to become a talent scout, then a DJ, a store manager, and eventually, a recording artist.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
And it was through his early recording The Chicken Scratch, in 1965, that he got his nickname.
The star formed his own backing band dubbed the Upsetters, then in 1973, he went on to build his own studio, Black Ark, which became renowned.
He began experimenting with drum machines, and even firing guns and breaking glass, sampling animal noises and blowing marijuana smoke onto his master tapes in a bid to enhance his recordings.
Scratch pioneered the technique of dub versions of reggae tracks. He’d emphasise the bass, remove most of the vocals and add reverb to create a more eerie sound.
He once said of his technique: “I see the studio must be like a living thing, a life itself. The machine must be live and intelligent. Then I put my mind into the machine and the machine perform reality.”
Many famous faces were welcomed through the doors of his studio over the years, including Beatles star Paul McCartney and his then wife Linda who travelled there to record two songs.
But back before opening his studio, Scratch worked with Bob Marley and the Wailers, who incorporated members of his own band the Upsetters.
They recorded together in 1970 and 1971.
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Marley’s son Ziggy once said: “Scratch helped my father look deeper into himself … [he] was instrumental in my father’s career.”
In 1983, Scratch famously burned down his Black Ark recording studio after becoming convinced it was possessed by evil spirits.
He did however continue to record throughout the rest of his life.
