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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 10 January 2008

Scratching the surface of a Perry big talent

PREVIEW - LEE SCRATCH PERRY
Jazz Café

THE immense contribution Lee “Scratch” Perry has made to reggae music can best be gauged by running a name check of the people influenced by his music and the endless list of established musicians who have beat a path to his door as a producer.
He is the man behind Bob Marley and countless other reggae stars, and whose pioneering creativity in the genre has influenced bands and musicians across a broad spectrum.
Those who have had the hand of Perry on them include The Clash, The Heptones, The Skatalites, Terence Trent D’Arby and dub originator The Mad Professor.
Perry’s story is a mixture of fact – best checked by looking at a discography, the most reliable mark of his life and times – combined with myth and legend, creating an iconic figure in the annals of reggae music.
It goes something like this: in the late 1950s Perry started as a singer and engineer for Coxone Dodd’s Studio One in Kingston and the Downbeat Sound System.
It was under Dodd’s direction that in 1961 he released his first record, Chicken Scratch, which gave him his nickname.
Having learnt the trade of music engineering and production, he set out on his own as a producer. One of his first acts was to team Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer up with members of his own band, The Upsetters, to form Bob Marley and the Wailers.
In the 1970s he made waves by producing a series of successful albums from his studio, The Black Ark. It had become the home for a generation of reggae artistes.
He still rocks. Aged 70, he brings what can only be described as an eccentric stance to his music and live performances. You never quite know what to expect from Perry. But let that not detract from his incredible talent and a back catalogue of music that spans four decades of truly beautiful tunes.
He has earned his legendary status and watching him at work, always backed by a band of genuine class, is a unique experience.

DAN CARRIER

• Lee Scratch Perry plays the Jazz Café, Parkway, Camden Town on Friday 11, Saturday 12 and Sunday 13th of January, at 7pm. Tickets: £22.50 (Friday and Sunday) in advance £25 Saturday in advance. Standing bookings: 0870 060 3777

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