Lee
Scratch
Perry, singer, producer and one of the great figures of
reggae
died this Sunday in a hospital in Lucea, Jamaica, at the age of 85.
The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has confirmed the news and sent his condolences to family and friends.
“We will always remember for his genuine contribution to music.
May his soul rest in peace ”, he assured on Twitter.
Lee
Scratch
Perry was born in the rural village of Saint Mary on March 20, 1936. A fundamental figure in the sound of the island since in the late fifties he began working for the legendary Clement
Coxone
Dodd in the sixties. moves to Kingston. It was security guard, scouts, author of songs (uncredited) and finally singer in Studio One, who Coxone mounted in 1963. In 1966, after breaking up
with his mentor, record
I am the Upsetter
(I am the incordio) .
“Coxsone never wanted to give this country boy a chance. Not by chance. He would take my songs and give them to others like Delroy Wilson. I never received any recognition and much less money. He was fucking me, "he said in an interview in
Variety
.
Two years later he would produce a song with a new rhythm, not heard before,
Long shot,
for The Pioneers.
Many consider it the first
reggae,
before the name even existed.
Lee 'Scratch' Perry, in concert in London in January 1984.photo copyright David Corio / Redferns
It is in that decade and the 1970s that Perry makes a name for himself and produces some of Jamaica's biggest artists, first on Amalgamated Records and later with his own studio. As a singer, she won the Grammy for Best Album in 2003 for
Jamaican ET
. Besides a notable short-tempered, Perry had no trouble explaining his place in the world of music. “I am the best producer in Jamica. Many say that I am the best in the world, "he said in 1984.