Lee "Scratch" Perry

As inventive and iconoclastic as any genius hiding out in music history, Lee “Scratch” Perry figures into pretty much every development within reggae music from the time he started working professionally in the late ’60s. He’s written for and produced giants (Bob Marley, The Congos), mixed down some of the heaviest dub ever heard, and generally done more with limited tape-recording equipment than really makes sense. Perry, now in his late 70s, remains current by releasing albums at a relentless pace and working with the likes of Keith Richards, George Clinton, and Andrew W.K. A documentary about his life, musical career, and strife in his homeland of Jamaica, titled The Upsetter—and narrated by Benicio Del Toro, an ardent fan—was finally released in early 2011 after spending three years on the shelf.

Updated 05/09/2012