The Upsetters

by Jason AnkenyProducer Lee Scratch Perrys longtime house band, the Upsetters appeared on some of the most legendary records in reggae history, including the early hits of the Wailers. The group was named after Perrys 1968 smash The Upsetter, and the Upsetter tag was also applied to his record label; although the line-up was mercurial — essentially the roster consisted of whoever was in the studio the minute the tape began to roll — among the key Jamaican musicians who passed through the Upsetters ranks were siblings Aston and Carlton Barrett, Sly Dunbar, Glen Adams, Winston Wright and Boris Gardiner. Despite scoring a handful of their own hits, including 1969s Return of Django, the unit was best known as a support act, enjoying their greatest influence through the records they made during the late 1960s and early 1970s with the Wailers, including the seminal Duppy Conqueror, Small Axe and Soul Rebel.