People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry

by David Katz

'David Katz's in-depth portrayal of his genius is to be commended and is an essential addition to any serious music fan's collection' David Rodigan MBE OD

'For the complete picture of this musical genius you can't get better than David Katz's People Funny Boy - if you're into Scratch, it's essential' Don Letts

Arguably the most influential force in Jamaican music, Lee Perry brought Bob Marley to international stardom and has since collaborated with artists such as Sir Paul McCartney, The Clash and The Beastie Boys. The book delves behind the myth of Perry to give a fuller examination of his life and work through extensive interviews with family members, fellow artists, friends, lovers, enemies, as well as the man himself to present a complex portrait of a unique soul driven by unseen spiritual forces. This revised and expanded edition has been thoroughly updated and completely overhauled to render a more nuanced, accurate and accessible read, with new information on Perry's later years, including his Grammy Award, cessation of herb smoking and final passing, as well as previously unpublished information about his early life, his unique relationship with Marley, and his fabled Black Ark studio.

686 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2021

Reviews

[Mike Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. This book goes DEEP. At over 600 pages, it’s a virtual encyclopedia of Jamaican music, of which Lee Perry is a primary author. I don’t know how much time and effort the writer had to spend to piece together so much detail about a complex, prolific, and conflicting subject like Perry, but this is some feat. My only minor qualm is that there is too much detail here. No one with the exception of Perry and the author have consumed the amount of material covered here, and repetitive mention of Perry’s later-year (impressive) touring schedule could have been pared back. Still, you will no doubt be introduced to new music, and find yourself impressed with the author for making sense of the madness that was Perry’s life.

[Andre' Delbos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2021 edition includes Perry’s passing in August of the same year. It is thorough and enjoyable, written by a longtime Perry scholar and reggae aficionado. While lacking a proper discography (a difficult task), David Katz’s updates to the first edition gives both a comprehensive review of LSP’s early recordings, through the 1980s, as well as a critical and fairly thorough (though admittedly incomplete) review of Perry’s many and varied works (good and bad) of the last 30+ years.
A rewarding read of a truly groundbreaking artist whose life was his grand work. David Katz’s scholarship and passion shine through the book making this, while perhaps exhausting for the casual reader, highly recommended.

[Adam Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A veritable firehose of information. This hefty volume detangles a messy life and presents a straightforward assessment with a lengthy LSP rant tossed in randomly simply because Scratch told the author, “Hey, put this in too.” Absolutely riveting. My to-listen pile is now about to tip over.

Rest in peace: https://youtu.be/W0Mk8Z_SBb8?si=xilP4...