Reggae Legend LEE “Scratch” PERRY Passes Away At Age 85
Jamaican Reggae legend, Rainford Hugh Perry who is better known as Lee “Scratch” Perry has passed away at the age of 85 years old, after living an immaculate music-filled life and having a career spanning over 60 years with up to 1000 live recordings.
The news was announced this morning that “Scratch” made his transition while battling an illness at the Noel Holmes Hospital that’s located in Western Jamaica..
He is well known for his mass contributions to the Reggae genre, especially for the dub sounding type that was developed in the ’70s, and spiralled as an innovative component of the music with its blend of unique sound effects, and remixing of older tracks that were used to create timeless hits.
Lee Scratch Perry boasts a very reputable collection of music having produced songs for Junior Murvin, Max Romeo, The Congos, the Beastie Boys, and Bob Marley and the Wailers who he did songs like “Concrete Jungle”, ” Duppy Conqueror”, “Jah live”, and “Small Axe” with.
For his collection of songs voiced by him he is known for tracks such as “I Am A Mad Man”, “City Too Hot”, “Curly Locks”, and ” Dreadlocks in Moonlight”.
His musical expertise involved techniques that saw Scratch flipping tapes to make samples, recording strange sounds in his yard as well as burying his microphone to impact his final audio product.
Even though he was born in Jamaica, where he lived most of his life, Perry is known to have spent some time in Switzerland where he continued to make music before returning home.
Being the very eccentric and inventive musician he was, with all his contributions to the genre of Reggae he was awarded the national honour, of the Order of Distinction at the rank of Officer.
Lee “Scratch” Perry was born in Hanover on the 20th of March 1936.
In recognition of the passing, Prime Minister Andrew Holness took to his Twitter account where he posted “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.”.
PM Holness also tweeted the statement below.
Check out one of Lee’s interviews below.
