Why Did Lee Scratch Perry Burn Down His Legendary Black Ark Studio? 

Lee 'Scratch' Perry was the most ingenious producer of all time. Just the GOAT, RIP Upsetter

Some people talk of Clement Coxsonne Dodd... RESPECT to him.. But for me, Lee Scratch Perry is the Unrivalled Genius among all the others. The man's captured collective imagination for the past 50 years and still more so..LSP's life and career deserve the BIG SCREEN

A very well known write and Dj named David Katz spent 5 years writing a book called " People Funny Boy". If you can find a copy, you will really enjoy it. David spent 5 years around Scratch , could you imagine. There are actually 7 didn't myths of how and why the ark got burned down. I remember one had to do with a German tourist bugging him. I spent a little time around Scratch and also go to see his last show in the US. It was just before Covid started and it was a few days before his birthday. It was a large festival and it rained all day. His performance was just great, I had seen him play several times before then. I even Djied at one of his shows. Scratch had a habit of talking in riddles, that makes his interviews even more interesting. The first time I saw him perform was at a small club. I remember he had a bike horn with him and he honked it on the beat. I just remember laughing my ass off, I was pretty lit. The movie about Lee is worth watching ! Here is the link ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0iOqnh-raBI.html

Thay say it's a thin line between be a genius and madness.

Chris Blackwell is always in a story!😂

Not only did he make unbelievable good music He also made very spiritual music that goes deep into the mind and soul He was a very very special man 👍

RAS, man this channel is highly needed. You are sharing subjects of historical importance. So much history that goes unknown. It’s nice to see it collated here in an easy to digest and well informed manner.

Wicked talented producer also responsible for the Wailers early years unmatched sound. One of a kind man to be compared to absolutely nobody. ❤💛💚

Known variously as Little, Scratch, Doctor Dick, King Perry, The Upsetter, Wondermon, Super Ape, Tic Tac Teac, Pipecock Jaxson & Jah X is Lee Perry, the man with so many aliases he's become a dub slinging outlaw from one of his own late-sixties spaghetti-western inspired instrumentals. In fact Scratch seems to have a name for every phase in his beyond all boundaries career. One thing remains constant throughout his 35 years of Jamaican musical history, Lee Perry stays years ahead in concept & production, always at the cutting edge where new rhythms & techniques influence all posses. While other producers milk a new sound until it is utterly parched, often times belittling the music with gross attempts at cross-over appeal, Scratch resists those temptations by striving forward, forever pushing limits & limiters, pinning V.U. meters, tweaking tweeters, barking down woofers & phasing every track in sight. He ruthlessly sets near impossible standards of creative genius that never look back. His distinctive sound envelope engorges every frequency, twists and wrings it out until all weak heart harmonics are jettisoned. His mixes spit out venom like the lightning-quick tongue of a croaking lizard, with rough & tough sand paper textures swathed in bubbling rhythms that bound off deep African caverns & drill through the earth, erupting at Perry's self dubbed "Power Plant of Righteousness", The Black Ark Studios of Kingston Jamaica. And he keeps chanting, singing and mixing with his main musical instrument the 4-track recorder, Perry's toy, his Excalibur, his time machine that mashes up sound & pulverizes the pulp. This is the key to truth & immortality. Lee Perry got his start in the Jamaican music business at the age of 16 in 1955 with Clemment Dodd's Downbeat sound system. Though at first assigned to rather menial tasks by 1957 "Little" (as he was called due to his short and current 5 foot stature) was actively scouting for hot records to help Downbeat compete amidst the intense sounds system rivalry of the era. When Jamaicans began cutting their own records in 1959 Scratch was helping Dodd audition and even co-producing some of the action. Perry convinced Dodd to sign Toots (of the Maytals) and worked on his first single "6 and 7 Books". Despite the continuing rivalry between all Jamaican producers Dodd admitted recently that Scratch is a hard worker who mixed, engineered and arranged many of the records released on Dodd's Studio One label in the 60's.

The man was many years ahead of his comtemporaries. First producer to use the drum machine. The "Chim Cheri," a instrumental riddim made during the mid 70s, is the same riddim that would be used near 10 years later by Shinehead for his monster smash, "Billie Jean" in 1984. Scratch was always a trailblazer.

Listen don't be surprised if some of the most gifted artists don't think about things in the same way as ordinary people. Lee Scratch Perry might have been on another planet compared to most of us, but he was sending music back for us that will live forever. Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

I have so much respect and admiration to Lee Scratch Perry. He was himself, true and eccentric.

The rumor I heard (mid 90's?) was that there was someone who wouldn't leave him alone so he burned the place down to get rid of them. Good to hear the actual story.

Lunch time. Should've known RAS was just around the corner. Jah Bless😇❤️💛💚🦁

Yea Bob Marley burning up his black arc Studio was serious joke lol

They wish that Lee Perry would rest meaning the powers that be

He burned it down to start again to get out of the gangsters seen and the hangers on thing, sometimes you have got to find away out , as you can find if you have nothing. Your so called friends fade away, but you hnow were you stand when you start agrain. Maybe that was the Perry way out to restart.

'People Funny Boy" , the Lee Perry autobiography doubts the story of Perry burning his own studio and believed it was more likely to have been an accident . It wasnt being used , wires everywhere , but Perry just kept the myth going saying he burnt it down

You did not mention Perry's greatest creation at the Black Ark: Heart of the Congos.

I never knew he was Rasta God Rest his spirit

Because he could

a studio climate that will never be replicated.

Hey, I deleted my Twitter account, but today, I started a new one. I just started following you. I'm under Dj Gregory-G

Great video RAS about this unique one of a kind and very individual character. I am not sure if it's a rumour, but it is alleged that Bob gave Lee a good beating. ❤️💛💚🖤

Rest in power to the dj pioneer and producer and singer and business man entrepreneur and Rasta lee scratch perry 🌅🇯🇲🌊🌇🎧🦁🌿🌾🌴

Love to scratch big ups Ras best producer for roots ☝🏿☝🏿

The Albert Einstein of music! He is my absolute favorite Artist 🙏☺️

That's not what I heard, I heard the group Congo was in the studio and heard one of the members was sleeping with his wife. He became outraged and burned it down with them in it... kinda makes sense why he never came back to JA for decades

Legend has it Paul McCartney made an album at Black Ark.

Great video dere...Jah bless

I thought the one guy from the Congo's had a go with Lee Perry's wife while they were at the Black Ark recording.

🖤❤️💚💛

Long story short, he was a tad bit off inna his head. RIP

Monologue provided by the most AI voice to date

Blessed Love,, Rastafari,, 🇱🇨👊🏽🇯🇲👍🏽❤️

Lee Perry never rest in peace. He will always be there for us He has gone forward to prepare a place