Lee Scratch Perry - Mr Natural Mischief By Sam Carty

Sam Carty

When l label Lee "Scratch "Perry Mr. natural mischief, am l demeaning his legendary status or trivializing his journey? Not by a long shot. You are mischievous when you dare to disrupt the status quo and any established order as both Perry and Marley did in and for post colonial Jamaica. The mischief and mystique of both players speak for themselves.

Perry has transitioned from the flesh at age of 85. lf Bob Marley had prevailed in flesh to the present, he would be 76, making him roughly half of a generation younger than Perry. The question of legitimacy of claim that Perry honed, nurtured and guided Marley's sound, imagery attitude and execution of talent to become king of reggae has never been controverted, and because yours truly was there as a part of that journey, l am well positioned to attest to this and other truths on this phenomenon.

My vocal talent is prevalent to this very day in Perry's Black Archives and Arkology catalogues with four of my six songs produced by him doing perennial rounds in the works. The fact that myself, and l would imagine, numerous other artistes were never financially compensated would be a matter for discussion at some appropriate time with relevant parties if one can get audience with them. My up coming book will probe some of the marketing strategies in quest for these answers.

Lee 'Scratch' Perry

Lee Perry's Black Ark studio at 5 Cardiff Crescent in Washington Gardens, Kingston 20, was a musical laboratory in which the artiste/song writer/percussionist and engineering producer was unbridled in his "experrymentation" with sounds, quips, tempos and musical phraseology to break new grounds and establish new conventions. His earlier compositions/production of Marley's Duppy conqueror and Small axe of course preceded the Ark.

The Upsetter or Setter as he was also called, set out to do just that culturally, and though he initially rented studios like any beginner producer, he had full sway at the Ark to engineer his brand. The sound and stamp is on Marley, and many others. Of note is his 1968 hit, People Funny Bwoy where he got explicit with the "bawling baby" depicting worries a yard, that was only the tip of the ice, by the time the Ark came about. A uniquely compelling and distinctive brand was honed. Scratch Perry' act of burying microphones to capture sounds of nature was the naturist in him coming out as a country producer, whose dimension was to coincide with the city vibes (Trench Town). l believe that as an agrarian creature, he outdid himself. The jungle resonances and reverberations echoing through Marley, were not by coincidence, it was craft at work.

Bob Marley

Both Perry and Marley were drawn to dictums(who the cap fit) biblical quotes and the sharp string imagery of everyday Jamaican street parlance: "mi nuh know how me an' dem a go work it out."

It was a treat to watch Perry mix - it was a performance. He did not play guitar, bass nor keyboard, but he pulled out from each player what he wanted, or danced it out of them. By the way, he got the name Scratch from a 60's dance he influenced called. "chicken scratch".

Scratch's fascination with jinxes, voodoo, obeah and those innate retentions from Mama Africa were never founded on ill will, but was a part of his mischief to the time of closure of his illustrious innings. If Marley urbanized and globalized the agrarian from "Scratch". A much suppressed and less heard about artiste was his mouthpiece on jinxes, Leo Graham who also sounds like Scratch.

His image, attire brand and overall personage bore out his mischief to finality. Some say eccentrics. Call it what you will, many close to him, like myself, are familiar with the mystique and the mischief.

Songs performed Sam Carty for Scratch:

• Bird In Hand 
• Life Is A Flower

Other Songs Done By Sam Carty:

• (Sam Carty & The Astronauts - Festival Jam Rock
• Sam Carty And The Astronauts - International Slackness