News & Updates — Lee "Scratch" Perry

The underrated roots reggae toaster Prince Jazzbo was born on this day in 1951 with the given name Linval Roy Carter. Like every other Kingston youth, he started off working the sound systems before starting his recording career in the early '70s with Studio 1, Upsetter and others for producers Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bunny Lee, Glen Brown as well as for his own Ujama label, which he created in '77. He hit with "Crabwalking" (an update on Horace Andy's "Skylarking") in '72. He is the dude on "Croaking Lizard" on the Super Ape album by Perry. And he and I-Roy...

Happy born day to one of my favorite reggae singers, the rootical Junior Delgado. Born Oscar Hibbert in Kingston, he was nephew to musician Lenny Hibbert. As a teenager in the early '70s he was a member of the vocal group Time Unlimited, which recorded for Lee "Scratch" Perry, Duke Reid, Tommy Cowan and Bunny Lee. The group scored a hit with "Reaction" (reissued on Pressure Sounds!). He recorded as Junior Hibbert in the mid '70s with Rupie Edwards and after changing his name to his longtime nickname Delgado he got cracking on even more material: "Everyday Natty" with Niney...

One of Jamaica's great drummers, Sticky Thompson played on many, many reggae sessions with The Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jimmy Cliff, Dennis Brown, Junior Byles, Grace Jones, Culture, Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru, The Techniques, Mighty Diamonds, Alton Ellis, Ken Boothe, Ziggy Marley, John Holt, Soul Syndicate, Yabby You, Tommy McCook, Burning Spear, Tom Tom Club and many, many others. A few of his catalogue credits: "Beat Down Babylon", "Soul Rebel", "Duppy Conqueror", "I Need A Roof", "Pull Up To The Bumper" and other classics. He was a member of the Compass Point Studio band for Island Records. He was also...

Definitely the world's most famous melodica player, Augustus Pablo was a crucial figure on the reggae and dub scene for two-plus decades. Born Horace Swaby in Jamaica, he learned organ and keyboards while in school before becoming addicted to playing the melodica, a free-reed mouth keyboard mostly used as a tool to teach children music. While still a teenager he cut his earliest sides in '71 for Aquarius Records, taking on the name "Augustus Pablo", which had previously been used by other musicians for records on the label. He began working with Randy's and other labels and "East Of The...

Born day shout-out to Michael Campbell aka Mikey Dread! He operated sound systems, hosted the massively popular Jamaican radio show Dread At The Controls, worked on TV, cut sides with Lee Perry, Sonia Pottinger, Carlton Patterson and Joe Gibbs and performed with the Socialist Roots Sound System. He started his Dread At The Controls label, producing Edi Fitzroy, Sugar Minott, Earl Sixteen, Althea & Donna and Junior Murvin. He also produced music for and toured with The Clash. His contribution can be heard all over Sandinista! and "Bank Robber". In the '80s he worked with Adrian Sherwood and UB40, also...