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Lee “Scratch” Perry
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Lee Perry
How Bob Marley brought reggae into the mainstream
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Lee Perry
Lee Perry Lee “Scratch” Perry.

Lee “Scratch” Perry

Jamaican musician
Also known as: Rainford Hugh Perry, Scratch Perry
Written by
Greg Kot
Rock Critic (1990-2020), The Chicago Tribune; Co-host, Sound Opinions. Author of Wilco: Learning How to Die and Ripped: How the Wired Generation...
Greg Kot
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Lee “Scratch” Perry (born March 28, 1936, Kendal, Jamaica—died August 29, 2021, Lucea) was a Jamaican producer, songwriter, singer, and disc jockey who helped reshape reggae music. He was among the first Jamaican producer-musicians to use the studio as an instrument, and he pioneered the reggae instrumental form known as dub, in which sections of a rhythm track were removed and others emphasized through echo, distortion, repetition, and backward tape looping. Perry’s debut recording in...

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