Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters

Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters
Name	The Upsetters
Origin	Kingston, Jamaica
Genres	Reggae, Dub, Rocksteady
Years active	1968–present
Associated acts	Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Wailers, Bob Marley, The Hippy Boys

Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters were a Jamaican studio and touring ensemble central to the development of reggae, dub and rocksteady from the late 1960s onward. The collective served as a backing band, production house, and experimental laboratory for collaborations that involved figures from Kingston, Jamaica's music scene to international acts, shaping the sounds associated with labels like Upsetter Records and influencing artists across Britain, United States, and Japan.

Overview

The Upsetters functioned as both a rhythm section and a production team, working closely in studios such as Studio One, Randolph's Studio and Black Ark Studios while releasing singles and albums on Upsetter Records and Island Records. Members and affiliates intersected with groups like The Wailers, The Soulettes, The Congos, The Heptones and session musicians from house bands that included Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Aston Barrett and Bunny Lee. Their recordings circulated on sound systems run by operators such as Duke Reid, Coxsone Dodd and King Tubby and featured on compilations distributed through Trojan Records, Blood and Fire and independent labels.

Formation and Early Years

The Upsetters emerged in the late 1960s after Perry separated from collaborations with producers including Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and Derrick Harriott, assembling musicians from Kingston's session scene and former members of The Wailers and The Hippy Boys. Early singles and instrumental tracks were engineered in studios influenced by techniques from Leslie Kong, Prince Buster and Pat Francis while the band backed singers like Dennis Brown, Junior Murvin and Max Romeo. Their name derives from Perry's nickname and his 1968 single "The Upsetter", which catalyzed the formation of a credited backing group for touring and recording engagements across Jamaica and the United Kingdom.

Collaboration with Lee "Scratch" Perry

As producer, Lee "Scratch" Perry curated The Upsetters' line-ups, songwriting, and studio experiments, attracting vocalists such as Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert, Gregory Isaacs and Alton Ellis. Perry's role connected the ensemble to engineers and mixers like King Tubby, Errol Thompson and Scientist, and to labels including Island Records and CBS Records for international distribution. The collaborative nexus extended to musicians from The Skatalites, The Wailers Band and session players who also worked with producers Joe Gibbs, Lee "Scratch" Perry's contemporaries, and arrangers associated with Chris Blackwell and Richard Branson-era releases.

Notable Recordings and Albums

The Upsetters' discography includes acclaimed albums produced or assembled by Perry for release on Upsetter Records and peers like Trojan Records and Island Records, featuring instrumental and vocal tracks heard on albums such as seminal dub LPs and compilations that influenced collections from ONYX Records to Greensleeves Records. Key singles and sessions involved tracks later reworked by engineers including King Tubby and Scientist into dub versions that circulated on sound systems and were anthologized alongside works by Augustus Pablo, Lee "Scratch" Perry collaborators such as Max Romeo ("War Ina Babylon"), Junior Murvin ("Police and Thieves") and releases credited to The Upsetters that showcased Perry's studio innovations.

Musical Style and Production Techniques

The Upsetters' sound combined rhythms derived from rocksteady and early reggae with dub practices like heavy echo, reverb, tape delay, and drop-outs pioneered in studios run by King Tubby and Black Ark Studios. Instrumentation often featured drums and bass patterns associated with players such as Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Aston "Family Man" Barrett and guitarists linked to Ernie Ranglin and Winston "Bopeep" Wright, while horn arrangements recalled members of The Skatalites and arrangers who worked with Tommy McCook. Production techniques involved multitrack manipulation, found sounds, and experimental overdubs that placed the ensemble at the center of innovations later adopted by producers from Dub Syndicate to Massive Attack.

Line-up Changes and Key Members

The Upsetters' personnel fluctuated, drawing from musicians like Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Aston Barrett, Bingy Bunny, Hux Brown, Gladstone "Gladdy" Anderson and horn players linked to The Skatalites. Vocal collaborations brought in artists such as Bob Marley, Max Romeo, Junior Murvin, The Heptones and The Congos, while engineers and mixers including Errol Brown and Scientist shaped the ensemble's recorded identity. Touring versions of the band adapted line-ups for shows in Europe, Africa and North America, sometimes featuring musicians from Britain's reggae scene and session players associated with labels like Greensleeves Records.

Legacy and Influence

The Upsetters' recordings and studio experiments under Perry's direction profoundly influenced reggae, dub music, electronica and contemporary hip hop production, informing artists from The Clash and Paul Simon to producers in Japan and Europe. Their techniques were cited by producers associated with On-U Sound and bands like Public Image Ltd., while dub methodologies permeated genres championed by labels such as Ninja Tune and 4AD. Archival reissues and tributes by labels like Blood and Fire and compilations on Trojan Records have sustained interest among scholars at institutions like Institute of Jamaica and collectors linked to Record Collector (magazine), ensuring The Upsetters' place in histories of Jamaican music and global sound-system culture.

Category:Reggae musical groups Category:Jamaican musical groups