Lee "Scratch" Perry, Happy Birthday! Five of His Best Collaborations

Lilledeshan Bose/OC Weekly

Lee Scratch Perry at the Observatory last year

​Today is legendary Reggae/Dub/Ska artist/producer Lee "Scratch" Perry's 76th birthday. Born in Kendal, Jamaica, Perry has been making music for nearly 60 years. Over that time, he's established himself as one of the most influential artists in the development and acceptance of reggae and dub music in Jamaica and overseas. In honor of his birthday, here are some of Perry's greatest collaborations.

5. Major Lazer - In 2010, the producers collaborated on the program aptly titled, The Producers. The show is a documentary series filmed at Red Bull Studios in London and that features some of the best in their particular genre and see what happens.

4. George Clinton - It may be hard to believe, but 2009 was the first time these two iconic artists in their particular fields finally joined forces. Under the watchful eye of producer Steve Marshall, the duo collaborated on Perry's album Revelation, which was nominated for a Grammy under the Best Reggae Album category in 2010.

3. Beastie Boys - Long time fans of the producer, the hip-hop pioneers introduced Perry to a wider audience with the inclusion of "Dr. Lee, PhD" on 1998's Hello Nasty. The song features him on both lyrics and percussion, which was one of the highlights of the album.

2. Keith Richards - Like Clinton, Richards also featured on Revelation. The Rolling Stones guitarist is a longtime admirer of the

Lilledeshan Bose/OC Weekly

Lee Scratch Perry at the Observatory last year

​producer's work and appeared on the track "Book Of Moses." They've gone on to collaborate a few more times since.

1. Bob Marley and The Wailers - Had it not been for the producer, who knows if the world would have been treated to one of the most iconic and legendary figures in reggae. Perry produced early albums like Rasta Revolution and African Herbsman, which brought Marley to the attention of Island Records and the rest they say, is history. Helping hone the singer's creativity and sound was one of the greatest historical achievements of anyone's career, nevertheless his.



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