Reggae Legend Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry Yearning To Leave ‘Too Cold’ Switzerland For Jamaica
Legendary Reggae music producer and artiste Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry wants to ‘come in from the cold’ of Switzerland, to his native Jamaica.
Lee who is 84 years old, says he desperately needs to return to his homeland for one of his frequent visits, as the European country where he now resides with his family is just too cold, and he is tired of the COVID lockdowns there.
“I cannot stay here much longer! It’s too cold and energy is not right! All this lockdowns! I didn’t leave my bed since a month except when I went to take the test!” he said, before adding: “Sending much love and blessings to you all. And wishing for all of us brighter days to come and the strength to overcome this madness! And I need Jamaica sunshine! Love.”
The I am a Mad Man singer is also lamenting the fact that his Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) which would enable him to travel from Switzerland to Jamaica via Canada, has not yet been approved, part of the reason being that his passport is full.
“I am very unhappy that I couldn’t board my flight to Jamaica via Canada! My ETA was not approved as yet!!! I had a valid passport with valid ETA but had to get a new passport as that one was completely full. It looks like that the very smart ai tought something was funny and transferred the case to a human being for exemption,” the Grammy Award winner lamented.
“Does anyone know how long that could take? I wish someone would know somebody that works there,” he added.
His fans sent him words of comfort, some recommending that he write some songs in the interim, whilst others said they would try to help.
“Yes the lockdowns are taking their toll now. 10 months of it is getting to be overwhelming for many people,” one follower 416_lioness said, to which Lee replied: “Too much ☹”
Last month the Reggae icon announced that he would soon be returning to Jamaica to pursue his sustainable development plan for the island, which includes the creation of an off-the-grid community, to enable him to get away from what he has described as “this Babylon Madness”.
Scratch, who is regarded as one of the most important creative, artistic and musical figures to emerge in the latter half of the 1900s, has the distinction of producing more than 1000 recordings during his 60-year career, including some of Bob Marley and the Wailers’ best early recordings such as Soul Rebel and Soul Revolution albums and Small Axe, Duppy Conqueror, Jah Live, Punky Reggae Party, and Rastaman Live Up singles.
Perry, who is a native of Kendal in Hanover, is said to have conceptualized beat-making strategies which had never been undertaken in a studio before, including recording garden implements for beats, burying microphones under trees to get different sounds, blowing ganja smoke over tapes and even running tapes backwards.
Perry is revered across Europe, where he was constantly booked for tours pre-COVID.
In December 2019, he released his 12-track Heavy Rain album which debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums Charts.
Heavy Rain went on to become his first number one album in his 60-year career, and also made him the oldest artiste to top the charts.
Perry, who is a big fan of Vybz Kartel and Alkaline, has one Reggae Grammy award under his belt, which he copped in 2002 for the album, Jamaican E.T. He was nominated on four other occasions; in 2014 for Back on the Controls; 2010 with Revelation; 2008 with Repentance and in 2007 with The End Of An American Dream.
Lee has served as a fashion model in his golden years, even sparking the interest of the Italian fashion house, Gucci last year. In May 2019, he featured as a model on Adidas Originals’ DON’T ASSUME campaign, and back in 2010, collaborated with Supreme on two t-Shirt designs featuring his written word and his original artwork.