Shocks
Of Mighty: An Upsetting Biography
NAME: Rainford Hugh Perry
AKA: Lee, Little, King, Scratch, Pipecock Jackxon,
Super Ape, Ringo, Wonder Man, and many others
BORN: 20 March 1936, Kendal, Jamaica
HEIGHT: 5' 4"
CURRENT RESIDENCE: Zurich, Switzerland
OCCUPATION: The Upsetter
Updated and revised from Reggae
Rasta Revolution (Schirmer Books, 1997)
Part 1 of 5.....Full History can be
found on
Upsetter.Net
With a man as legendary and
eccentric as Lee Perry, the story of his life is a mix of fact and
fiction, newspaper clippings and ghost stories. Much of what we know
about Perry is open to conjecture, point of view, clouds of ganja, and
grains of salt the size of golf balls. Therefore, I make no apologies
for taking artistic license in telling Scratch's story.
"I came, I saw, and I
conquered." Lee Perry's early life
mirrors many of Jamaica's musical super stars: he was born poor in a
small village, earned an early reputation as a wise guy, came to
Kingston in the 1950s, heard the music, learned the moves, and got the
groove. His first job was with pioneering record producer Clement "Coxsone"
Dodd and his soon to be legendary Downbeat Sound System: errand boy,
security guard, talent scout, uncredited songwriter, and -- eventually
-- singer. Perry made his first recording, "Chicken Scratch", in 1961.
While it was a drop in Coxsone's sound system bucket, it did provide the
young Perry with his famous and lasting nickname. When Coxsone
established the famous Studio One in 1963, Perry spent more time behind
the microphone, cutting rude and raucous ska numbers such as "Roast
Duck", "Doctor Dick" and "Wishes Of The Wicked".
In 1966, after more than five years with
Coxsone, Perry left in a flash of lightning, pissed off at the producer
for not giving him enough money or recognition over the years. He
crossed the street and joined forces with greenhorn producer Joe Gibbs,
cutting his first signature tune, the sinister "I Am The Upsetter", as a
warning to Coxsone and anyone else who might try to underestimate him.
Gibbs wasn't really a producer at first, just a hustler with a lot of
cash and an ear for music. He quickly realized that Perry had the
groove, so in 1967 he hired Perry to run his new Amalgamated label for
him. Perry wasted no time, and produced a string of hits for Gibbs,
including The Pioneers' "Long Shot", which was the first song to use a
new rhythm in Jamaican music -- it didn't have a name at the time, but a
year later someone christened the beat "reggae". "Long Shot" and other
Perry works from this time are therefore evidence for those who claim
that he actually invented reggae.
Perry's productions mashed up the place,
but since Gibbs wanted a "silent" partner, he was asking for trouble
when he decided to put Perry on the elbow list. Furious once again for
being slighted, he split from Amalgamated with a mighty roar and
retaliated with "People Funny Boy", which was another "screw you" song
aimed straight to Gibbs' head. Ironic, since Perry's big hit for Gibbs
had been "Upsetter", which was aimed straight to Coxsone's head.
By 1968, Perry decided that since he
couldn't work with any of Jamaica's producers without being jerked
around, he would do it himself. His first move was to get the best hired
guns he could find to help him make some waves. He found such a crew in
Gladdy's All Stars, a set of session musicians who were as hot as sugar
cane fields in July. Perry named his new band after his current nickname
and his new record label: The Upsetters.
Under Perry's leadership, The Upsetters
cut rowdy, wigged out instrumentals like "Drugs And Poison", "The
Vampire", "Dig Your Grave", and what became their signature tune,
"Return Of Django". Alongside the Upsetters instrumentals, Perry scored
hits with soulful numbers from some of Jamaica's top vocalists, such as
David Isaacs, The Silvertones, and Slim Smith. When "Return Of Django"
became a hit in England, Perry and his crew were invited on a six week
tour of Britain - a first for a reggae band. However, in a spectacular
case of bad timing, the original Upsetters couldn't make the trip, so
Perry had to hustle together a new crew. A young group named the Hippy
Boys became the new Upsetters.
Riding a wave, the ambitious Perry
opened up his own store, the Upsetter Record Shop, located at 36 Charles
Street, premises once owned by his buddy Prince Buster. The shop not
only sold the latest and kinkiest Upsetter records, but acted as Perry's
base of operations -- not to mention rehearsal room, bar, and herb
counter. The Upsetter Shop played an important role in waking the town
and telling the people about the Upsetter's sound, which was becoming
more distinct with each release. The popularity of Perry's productions
also enabled him to sponsor a weekly program on the JBC, where the
latest Upsetter records were spun by enthusiastic jive-talking DJs.
While most of these early singles were straightforward, soul inspired
reggae, occasionally Perry would throw people for a loop with a bizarre
B-side or strange vocal effects. The Upsetter was beginning to upset.
Part 1 of 5.....Full
History can be found on
Upsetter.Net
