[4] Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae tracks.

[5] He worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, the Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, the Clash, the Orb, and many others.

[citation needed] Lee left school at age 15 and lived in Hanover, working as a labourer to help build the first road in Negril.

[7] Perry's musical career began in the late 1950s as a record seller for Clement Coxsone Dodd's sound system.

Similarly his acrimonious 1967 single as Lee "King" Perry, "Run for Cover", was likewise aimed at Sir Coxsone.

[3] In 1970, Perry produced and released the Wailers track "Mr. Brown" (1970) with its unusual use of studio effects and eerie opening highlighting his unique approach to production.

"[9]Perry remained behind the mixing desk for many years, producing songs and albums that stand out as a high point in reggae history.

[10] By 1978, stress and unwanted outside influences began to take their toll: both Perry and the Black Ark quickly fell into a state of disrepair.

After the demise of the Black Ark in the early 1980s, Perry spent time in England and the United States, performing live and making erratic records with a variety of collaborators.

In his earlier days, the act of producing for Perry was a frenzied and ritualistic one where he stated that "he blew smoke into the microphone so that the weed would get into the song.

"[12] In 1998, Perry reached a wider global audience as vocalist on the track "Dr. Lee, PhD" from the Beastie Boys' album Hello Nasty.

The album, released on 19 August 2008 through Narnack Records, featured several guest artists including Moby, Ari Up, producer Don Fleming, drummer Brian Chippendale, and bassist Josh Werner.

Between 2007 and 2010, Perry recorded three albums with British producer Steve Marshall who he met at Pyramid Arts Development in Hackney.

[25] The album earned critical acclaim,[26][27] and featured the single "Golden Clouds", named after the historic property located near Perry's hometown in Jamaica.

The recording sessions were filmed by Volker Schaner and were part of the documentary Lee Scratch Perry's Vision of Paradise.

In August 2012, it was announced that Perry would receive Jamaica's sixth highest honour, the Order of Distinction, Commander class.

[33] In 2015, the documentary Lee Scratch Perry's Vision of Paradise had a worldwide release in cinemas as well as on DVD and VOD after premiering at the East End Film Festival in London.

A Kickstarter campaign was organized in 2015 by Emch of Subatomic Sound System to raise funds to build a custom 15-foot-tall gorilla similar to the one on the original album cover art.

The film features intimate behind the scenes footage of Perry at work in his home studio in the Swiss Alps and an in depth interview with him.

[citation needed] In April 2019, hip hop producer Mr. Green announced that he would be doing a record made out of Perry's famous audio stems.

The song was "The Gates of Dub" with Max Romeo and The Roots Radics band produced by Hernan "Don Camel" Sforzini.

[citation needed] In 2015, his new studio in Switzerland, the "Secret Laboratory", was damaged by a fire that also destroyed his stage costumes and unreleased recordings.