People Funny Boy

Lee Perry was one of Reggae’s most enigmatic creators; an incomparable phenomenon who’s sonic sound waves transformed out lives. 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
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry blew my 13 year old mind back in ‘69 with a track called ‘Tackro’. From that time till this the surreal sonic adventures of Jamaica’s Salvador Dali of sound have been an essential part of my life. 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
Lee Perry’s importance in the reggae sphere is that he nurtured much Jamaican roots talent, including Bob Marley and his backing musicians. His legacy contains some of the finest reggae recordings known to appreciators of the genre. People should read this book to discover more – Dennis Bovell
A biography that, in many ways, is the story of an entire musical genre … If his story is not the greatest ever told, then it is certainly one of the most entertaining, and Katz duly relates many of the more lunatic anecdotes … Seldom less than definitive * Q *
Going beyond the standard portrait … Katz offers up a vast tome that works as a psychological portrait of a complex artist, and a fascinating history of post-war Jamaican music and culture … Marvellous stuff * Mojo *
An exhaustive, brilliantly researched and well-written biography … Every recording and motivation is detailed, along with his legion of eccentricities … A very good tale * NME *
[Katz’s] perseverance has paid off, creating a detailed portrait wide enough in focus to take in all the people around Perry - nearly the whole of the Jamaican scene … This book is especially strong on the music, guiding us through the minefield of his enormous output from the Sixties and Seventies * The Times *
Everything in Katz’s biography is well documented … Fascinating … A must-read for the legion of Jamaican music fans world-wide * Independent on Sunday *
Thoroughly engrossing – Martin Chilton * INDEPENDENT *
This weighty, in depth and definitive tome is not to be passed up. * ELECTRONIC SOUND *

David Katz is the author of People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae. He has been writing about Jamaican sounds and culture since 1984, with his work appearing in publications such as the Guardian, Mojo, and The Wire. Katz has also produced radio and film documentaries and continues to DJ vinyl. He is originally from San Francisco and currently resides in London.

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