Lee “Scratch” Perry, the legend of Jamaican dub, is dead, on Jamaica Observer i The guardian report. Perry was in Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea, Jamaica, when he passed away today (August 29). A cause of death has not yet been revealed. He was 85 years old. Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, published a tribute to the iconic musician on Twitter after the news of Perry’s death began circulating. “My deep condolences to the family, friends and fans of legendary record producer and singer Rainford Hugh Perry OD, affectionately known as” Lee Scratch “Perry. Holness wrote.
Perry, along with his band The Upsetters, helped spread Jamaican music around the world, producing albums by groups such as the Congos and Bob Marley & the Wailers, and influenced performances such as Clash and Beastie Boys. Perry was born in Kendal, Jamaica, in 1936. In the 1950s, Perry began working with Clement Coxsone Dodd, selling records and later working in Dodd’s recording studio, Studio One. Using this experience, he started his own label, Upsetter.
He released his first innovative single, “People Funny Boy” through the label, which highlighted his distinctive production technique. His studio experiences — which included the early uses of sampling and remixing — helped lead to the creation of the dub genre, which consolidated Black Ark Studios, a new space he built in his garden. After a series of successful albums with his band The Upsetters and countless production credits, Perry’s music reached a new audience during the 1980s, when he worked with British producer Adrian Sherwood.
On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Perry said the guardian, “Music is magic. If you have good music, you have good magic. If you have good magic, good people will follow you. “