True legend of reggae Lee "Scratch" Perry dies at 85

Lee "Scratch" Perry, a Jamaican singer who brought new depths in music, died aged 85. The condolences from all over the music industry came across for the legend.

He died at a hospital in Lucea, northern Jamaica. The cause of death has not been identified. Prime Minister Andrew Holness also sent out condolences to Perry's family and said the country lost a great talent.

The fast-paced pace of Perry's work established the roots of reggae sound that made Bob Marley world famous during his dub production, with his heavy use of space and echo.

Lee "Scratch" Perry became world-famous with appearance and mystical air; he grew as one of Jamaica's most prominent artists. Keith Richards had once referred to him as "the Salvador Dalí of music.

Born as Rainford Hugh Perry in Hanover Park Church in northwestern Jamaica in 1936, he left school when he was very young.

In an interview, Perry once said he was employed by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, head of the reggae studio and label Studio One, as an assistant, then as a talent scout, DJ, store manager and finally a recording artist. He earned his "Scratch" nickname from a previous recording, The Chicken Scratch, in 1965.

In the first of many sparrows that spun his career, Perry broke up with Dodd and began working with producer and label head Joe Gibbs, who Perry alternately deposed.

He became highly popular, creating his backing band, The Upsetters, with a string of early releases fixed on Spaghetti Westerns: Return of Django, Clint Eastwood, The Good, the Bad and the Upsetters, and more.

In 1973, he built his studio, the famous Black Ark. He experimented with drum machines and the potential of studio equipment. He pioneered dubbing versions of reggae tracks, emphasizing bass, occasionally removing vocals, and adding reverb to create a gruesome, echoing sonic space. "I see the workshop has to be like a living thing, a life itself," he said.