At 83 years young and 60 years in Reggae Music Lee "Scratch" Perry OD finally got a #1 on the Billboard Chart with "Heavy Rain". An icon and innovator "Scratch" made many classics and hits as a prolific recording artist. This Jamaican legend kickstarted Bob Marley’s career, has worked with likes of Paul McCartney, Junior Murvin, the Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, the Beastie Boys, Ari Up, The Clash, The Orbto the Clash. He is racking up dozens of albums and singles as both artist and producer. Lee Perry’s 1960s and 70s studio innovations were decades ahead of their time. He is known as the "Godfather of Dub" and in 1973 he founded the legenady Black Ark Studios which he insists he burned down to the ground. The self proclaimed "Mad Man" is an incalculable influence which is still reverberating through genres from hip-hop to grime to dubstep. Even now, he still tours the world with live bands and sometimes with New York City's Subatomic Sound System.
INDIO, CA - APRIL 12: Musician Lee "Scratch" Perry performs onstage during day 1 of the 2013 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on April 12, 2013 in Indio, California. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images for Coachella)
This the 16th entry for him to chart is “Heavy Rain” which is currently at the number one spot, this is Scratch’s first number one album of his 60 year career. 14 of his albums have entered the Top ten over the years. Lee “Scratch” Perry’s first entry on Billboard was in 1990, “From the Secret Laboratory” it got to number 8 on the World Albums Chart. Born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 in Hanover, Jamaica which is the western side of the island. Perry's musical career began in the late 1950s as a record seller for Clement Coxsone Dodd's sound system after a falling out he found a new home at Joe Gibbs's Amalgamated Records. Perry broke ranks with Gibbs and formed his own label, Upsetter Records, in 1968. Landmark albums included in his discorgraphy below "Super Ape", "Blackboard Jungle" , "Roast Fish, Collie Weed and Cornbread".We play both songs and productions on Bob Radio SoCal from "The Upsetter".
Here is the discography from Wikipedia.
The Upsetter (1969)
The Upsetters – Return of Django (1969)
The Upsetters – Clint Eastwood (1970)
The Upsetters – Many Moods of the Upsetters (1970)
The Upsetters – Scratch the Upsetter Again (1970)
The Upsetters – Eastwood Rides Again (1970)
The Upsetters – The Good, the Bad and the Upsetters (1971)
Lee Perry – Africa's Blood (1972)
Scratch the Upsetter – Cloak and Dagger (1973)
The Upsetters – Rhythm Shower (1973)
The Upsetters – 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle (1973)
The Upsetters – Double Seven (1974)
King Tubby Meets the Upsetter – At the Grass Roots of Dub (1974)
The Upsetters – Musical Bones (1975)
The Upsetters – Return of Wax (1975)
The Mighty Upsetter – Kung Fu Meets the Dragon (1975)
Lee Perry & The Upsetters – Revolution Dub (1975)
The Upsetters – Super Ape (1976)
Lee Perry – Roast Fish Collie Weed & Corn Bread (1978)
The Upsetters – Return of the Super Ape (1978)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – The Return of Pipecock Jackxon (1980)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Majestics – Mystic Miracle Star (1982)
Lee Scratch Perry – History Mystery Prophesy (1984)
Mr. Lee 'Scratch' Perry and The Upsetters – Battle Of Armagideon (Millionaire Liquidator) (1986)
Lee 'Scratch' Perry + Dub Syndicate – Time Boom X De Devil Dead (1987)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Satan Kicked the Bucket (1988)
Lee "Scratch" Perry with Mad Professor – Mystic Warrior (1989)
Lee "Scratch" Perry with Mad Professor – Mystic Warrior Dub (1989)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Message From Yard (1990)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – From The Secret Laboratory (1990)
Lee "Scratch" Perry Meets Bullwackie – Satan's Dub (1990)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Spiritual Healing (1990)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Lord God Muzik (1991)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – The Upsetter and The Beat (1992)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & Mad Professor – Black Ark Experryments (1995)
Lee Perry – Experryments at the Grass Roots of Dub (1995)
Lee Perry featuring Mad Professor/Douggie Digital/Juggler – Super Ape Inna Jungle (1996)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Who Put The Voodoo Pon Reggae (1996)
Mad Professor & Lee Perry – Dub Take the Voodoo Out of Reggae (1996)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Technomajikal (1997)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Dub Fire (1998)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Fire in Dub (1998)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – On the Wire (2000)
Mad Professor/Lee Perry – Techno Party (2000)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & Niney the Observer – Station Underground Report (2001)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Jamaican E.T. (2002)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Alien Starman (2003)
Lee Scratch Perry and the Whitebellyrats – Panic in Babylon (2004)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – End of an American Dream (2007)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – The Mighty Upsetter (2008)
Lee "$cratch" Perry – Repentance (2008)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Scratch Came Scratch Saw Scratch Conquered (2008)
Lee "Scratch" Perry and Adrian Sherwood – Dub Setter (2009)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – The Unfinished Master Piece (2010)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Revelation (2010)
Lee "Scratch" Perry/Bill Laswell – Rise Again (2011)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Master Piece (2012)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & ERM – Humanicity (2012)
The Orb feat. Lee "Scratch" Perry – The Orbserver in the Star House (2012)
The Orb feat. Lee "Scratch" Perry – More Tales from the Orbservatory (2013)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Back On the Controls (2014)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & Pura Vida – The Super Ape Strikes Again (2015)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Must Be Free (2016)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & Subatomic Sound System – Super Ape Returns To Conquer (2017)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – The Black Album (2018)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Alien Dub Massive (feb 2019)
Lee "Scratch" Perry & Woodie Taylor remix– Big Ben Rock Avril – 2019)
Lee "Scratch" Perry – Rainford (May 2019)
Lee "Scratch" Perry and Mr. Green Super Ape vs. 緑: Open Door' (August 2019)
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Life Of Plants (October 2019)
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Heavy Rain (December 2019)
Compilation albums[edit]
DIP Presents the Upsetter (1975)
Scratch on the Wire (1979)
The Upsetter Collection (1981)
Megaton Dub (1983)
Arkology (1997)