Lee 'Scratch' Perry for Western Consciousness
BASIL WALTERS Observer staff reporter
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Legendary record producer and recording artist Lee 'Scratch' Perry has been confirmed as the headliner for the 2006 edition of Western Consciousness, slated for for Saturday, April 29, at the Llandilo Cultural, Savannah-la-Mar, Westmoreland.
With negotiations still in progress, other acts that have so far been confirmed to appear on the 18th staging of the annual roots and culture reggae festival, dubbed as a "Celebration of Good Over Evil", are Barrington Levy and Richie Spice.
"We're really in negotiations with a number of artistes, but its a great feeling to have someone of the calibre of Lee Scratch Perry on board," said Worrell King, show promoter.
The media launch, King indicated, is likely to take place on a date as close as possible to Perry's 70th birthday, and will take the form of a party.
Rainford Hugh Perry, aka Scratch or The Upsetter, was born in the parish of Hanover on March 28, 1936.
"Apart from having been a major influence on Bob Marley, Lee Perry is one of reggae's most important producers and a significant artiste in his right," wrote Kevin O' Brien Chang and Wayne Chen in their book Reggae Routes:The Story of Jamaican Music.
Junior Byles' Curly Locks, and Police and Thieves Max Romeo's War Inna Babylon are only a few of the great reggae songs Scratch Perry helped to create, not to mention a large number of dub albums. According to the book, he "is probably second in importance in this field only to dub's inventor, King Tubby."
Lee 'Scratch' Perry was the 2003 Reggae Grammy winner for the album, Jamaican ET, which came out on the Trojan Records label. The Grammy Award coincided with the released of his biography, People Funny Boy written by David Katz.
For his contribution to the development of reggae music, last year Perry was also the recipient of the local Tribute to The Greats Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually by King Omar's Promotions, the Kingsley Goodison-run organisation for the recognition of Jamaica's musical pioneers.
"This (the inclusion of Lee Perry on Western Consciousness) is like a fulfilment," mused Worrell King who in the early years received much flak for not including artistes whose lyrical content he deemed as negative expressions. Hence, the naming of his band, S.A.N.E. – Sounds Against Negative Expressions.
"Men of earnest, are not afraid of consequences," he told the Observer. Noting the return of conscious lyrics in the music, the director of King of Kings Promotions suggested that Western Consciousness has kept faith with its motto – "A Celebration of Good Over Evil"Added he, "In keeping with this concept, we're going to include in the lineup, a number of the new crop of conscious artistes."
Western Consciousness
APRIL 29, 2006
Llandilo Cultural Centre
Savanna-La-Mar, Westmoreland
Jamaica
Western Consciousness has developed a loyal and discerning audience over the last 17 years, averaging solidly 6-8 thousand patrons. We are consistently about Positive Music, Positive People and Positive Vibrations in a Positive Environment…
