· Member joins
Grady Gaines joins the band
tenor saxophone
source: musicbrainz
Group · Jamaica · formed 1968
Jamaican reggae band
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Also known as 1st 2nd & 3rd Generation Upsetters · Lee "Scratch" Perry & The Upsetters · Lee Perry & The Upsetters · Mighty Upsetters · The Upsetter · The Upsyndicates · +4 more
· Member joins
tenor saxophone
source: musicbrainz
· Debut release
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
The Upsetters were the house band for Jamaican reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. The name of the band comes from Perry's nickname of Upsetter, after his song "I Am the Upsetter", a musical dismissal of his former boss Coxsone Dodd.
The Upsetters were originally Gladdy's All-Stars, led by pianist Gladstone Anderson, and they recorded the international hits "Live Injection" and "Return of Django
Return of DjangoSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Return of Django2:362Touch of Fire2:433Cold Sweat2:524Drugs and Poison3:165Soulful I2:416Night Doctor2:477One Punch2:498Eight for Eight3:089Live Injection3:2110Man From MI52:4311Ten to Twelve2:3812Medical Operation3:11". The double A-side release of "Return of Django" / "Dollar in the Teeth", peaked at No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1969. When other commitments prevented the All Stars from participating, another band named the Hippy Boys were recruited to do the subsequent tour in the United Kingdom. This line-up remained the studio band that is most associated with the name, going on to eventually form the nucleus of Bob Marley's backing band the Wailers.
The band included guitarist Alva Lewis, organist Glen Adams and brothers Aston "Family Man" Barrett and Carlton Barrett, on bass guitar and drums respectively. Under Lee "Scratch" Perry's direction, the band backed Bob Marley on a full-time basis, especially on the albums Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution Part II.
By 1972 the Barrett brothers had joined the Wailers and Scratch brought in other musicians to replace them. The main Black Ark Upsetters became Boris Gardiner (bass), Mikey "Boo" Richards, Sly Dunbar, Lloyd "Tinleg" Adams, Clevie Browne and Anthony "Benbow" Creary (drums), Hux Brown and Earl "Chinna" Smith (guitar), Winston Wright and Keith Sterling (keyboards).
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 16 | 74.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 39 | 92.5th |
| Studio albums | 15 | 94.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | 52 | 92.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
1969 · studio album
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1969 · studio album
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1970 · studio album
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1970 · studio album
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1970 · studio album
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The Good, the Bad and the Upsetters
1970 · studio album
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1970 · studio album
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1971 · studio album
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1973 · studio album
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1974 · studio album
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1976 · studio album
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1978 · studio album
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1980 · studio album
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1995 · studio album
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— · studio album
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| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Temptation / Let Them Have a HomeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Temptation 2Let Them Have a Home | 1967 | ||
| 1969 | Clint Eastwood / I've Been CryingSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAClint Eastwood BI've Been Crying | 1969 | ||
| 1969 | Check Him Out / The VampireSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 5:34ACheck Him Out2:26 BThe Vampire3:08 | 1969 | ||
| 1969 | A Live Injection / Everything for FunSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 5:35AA Live Injection3:19 BEverything for Fun2:16 | 1969 | ||
| 1969 | Return of DjangoSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 5:15AReturn of Django2:38 BDollar in the Teeth2:37 | 1969 | ||
| 1973 | Bucky Skank / Yucky SkankSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 7:41ABucky Skank3:49 BYucky Skank3:52 | 1973 | ||
| 1973 | Got to Be Iry / Iry IrySearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAGot to Be Iry BIry Iry | 1973 | ||
| 1974 | Freedom FighterSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks1Freedom Fighter 2Iron Wolf | Compilation | 1974 | |
| 1975 | Key Card / Domino GamesSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracks · 8:48AKey Card4:18 BDomino Game4:30 | 1975 | ||
| 1996 | Lon Chaney / Country GirlSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksALon Chaney BCountry Girl | 1996 | ||
| 2010 | Dub Plate PressureSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksADub Plate Pressure BDub Plate Version | 25 August 2010 | ||
| 2016 | Keep On Dubbing, Part 1 / Keep On Dubbing, Part 2 / Highway Riding Dub / Dub Thief, Part 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 4 tracksA1Keep On Dubbing, Part 1 A2Keep On Dubbing, Part 2 B1Highway Riding Dub B2Dub Thief, Part 2 | 2016 | ||
| — | War and PeaceSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 3 tracks · 14:20A1War and Peace3:52 A2(War and Peace) Version3:09 BGuerra Y Paz7:19 | — |
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Upsetter CollectionSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks · 50:401Cold Sweat2:50 2Return of Django2:32 3Check Him Out2:33 4Django Shoots First2:33 5Kill Them All2:53 6The Vampire3:08 7Drugs and Poison3:10 8Sipreano2:55 9Black I.P.A.3:26 10Bucky Skank4:05 11Words of My Mouth3:37 12Tipper Special3:05 13Cow Thief Skank3:25 14French Connection3:56 15Better Days3:11 16Freak Out Skank3:21 | Compilation | 1988 | |
| 1995 | Lee Perry the Upsetter & The StudentSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 17 tracks · 50:351Upsetter Sign On1:58 2Taste of the Upsetter1:00 3Upsetter Private Lesson0:48 4Serious Case1:04 5Injection2:47 6Drugs With Poison3:08 7I've Got the Pill2:58 8King of the Forest4:27 9Iron Belt3:43 10Dub a Long3:09 11African Blood3:52 12War Round Deh4:33 13Kung Fu2:38 14Keep on Dancing2:27 15The Gambler4:45 16Are You Ready3:28 17Bush Weed Culture3:50 | Compilation | 1995 | |
| 1997 | Curly Locks: Best of Junior Byles & The Upsetters, 1970–1976Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 22 tracks · 1:10:351Da Da3:31 2Come Da Da (extended mix)6:21 3Fever2:52 4Lick the Pipe Peter3:01 5A Place Called Africa2:39 6Africa Stand2:52 7Long Way3:50 8When Will Better Come (alternate mix)2:48 9Informer Man2:58 10Curly Locks (original version)3:01 11Curly Locks #2 (version, take 2)4:35 12Curly Locks #3 (alternate mix)3:37 13Fun and Games (version, take 2)2:58 14Education Rock2:16 15Got the Tip2:38 16What Is This World Coming To (take 2)2:36 17Demonstration2:34 18Cutting Razor2:58 19Now Generation2:39 20Thanks We Get3:39 21A Matter of Time3:14 22Are You Leading Me On2:58 | Compilation | February 1997 | |
| 2001 | Dub ChallengeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 32 tracksDisc 1 1Iron Fist Upsetters Dub 2Duppy Dub 3Better Come Dub 4Tone Dub 5Like You Dub 6Get Away Dub 7Father Dub 8Marcus Dub 9Leggo Dub 10House Dub 11Night Dub 12Jam Dub 13Love Dub 14Two Face Dub 15Found You Dub 16Woman Dub Disc 21Dub On The Block 2Medley Dub 3Base Dub 4Twin Dub 5Confession Dub 6Holiday Dub 7Midnight Dub 8Angel Dub 9Top Ten Dub 10Guiding Star Dub 11Try Dub 12Blood Dub 13Sharing Dub 14Soundtrack Dub 15Sugar Dub 16Heart Dub | Compilation | 2001 | |
| 2002 | Return of Django: The Best of the UpsettersSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 25 tracks · 1:16:161Return of Django2:32 2Dollar in the Teeth (take 2)2:41 3Clint Eastwood3:46 4Kill Them All3:36 5For a Few Dollars More2:14 6Django Shoots First2:32 7Big John Wayne2:03 8French Connection4:11 9A Live Injection3:17 10Jungle Lion3:27 11The Pillow (take 1)3:13 12Dark Moon (Blue Moon)3:20 13Soulful I2:36 14Black I. P. A.3:25 15Stranger on the Shore (Aka Popeye on the Shore)3:27 16Dreamland (instrumental)2:28 17Waap You Waa3:24 18Big Noise (take 6)2:34 19Battle Axe3:37 20Sipreano3:00 21I Caught You3:15 22Tipper Special3:04 23Double Wheel2:59 24Night Doctor2:51 25Thunderball (take 2)2:44 | Compilation | 18 July 2002 | |
| 2012 | Super Ape / Return of the Super ApeSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 31 tracks · 2:25:30Disc 1 1Zion's Blood3:58 2Croaking Lizard3:28 3Black Vest4:41 4Underground (Root)2:56 5Curly Dub4:15 6Dread Lion4:33 7Three in One3:41 8Patience Dub3:53 9Dub Along3:14 10Super Ape3:58 11When Jah Come4:08 12Chase the Devil (extended version)6:53 13War ina Babylon (extended version)8:16 14From Creation2:36 15Natty Pass Through Rome4:53 16Come Along3:19 Disc 21Dyon-Anasaw3:39 2Return of the Super Ape3:40 3Tell Me Something Good3:29 4Bird in Hand3:27 5Crab Years3:37 6Jah Jah a Natty Dread3:38 7Psyche and Trim3:49 8The Lion3:30 9Huzza a Hana3:29 10High Ranking Sammy3:30 11Sufferer's Time (extended version)8:00 12Roast Fish and Corn Bread (extended version)9:00 13Big Pussy Sally (extended version)8:00 14Party Time, Parts 1 & 28:30 15Dreadlocks in the Moonlight / Cut Throat (extended version)7:30 | Compilation | 2012 | |
| 2018 | The Upsetter & Scratch The Upsetter AgainSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 24 tracks1Tidal Wave 2Heat Proof 3To Love Somebody 4Night Doctor 5Soulful I 6Big Noise 7Man From MI5 8Dread Luck 9Kiddy-O 10Wolf Man 11Crying About You 12Thunderball 13Bad Tooth 14The Dentis' 15Outer Space 16One Punch 17Will You Still Love Me 18Take One 19Soul Walk 20I Want To Thank You 21Mule Train 22Touch Of Fire 23She Is Gone Again 24The Result | Compilation | 17 October 2018 | |
| 2019 | Clint Eastwood / Many Moods of “The Upsetters”Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 48 tracksDisc 1 1Return of the Ugly 2For a Few Dollars More 3Prisoner of Love 4Dry Acid 5Rightful Ruler 6Clint Eastwood 7Taste of Killing 8Selassie 9What Is This (Ba Ba) 10Ain’t No Love (aka I’ve Never Found a Girl) 11My Mob 12I’ve Caught You (’Til I Can’t Take It Anymore) 13Down in the Park 14Strange Whisperings 15Hard to Handle 16(No) Not Me 17Facts of Life 18Can’t Get No Peace 19Freedom Train 20I’ll Be Waiting 21Love Oh Love 22Broken Heart 23Cut Down on Your Speed 24Anyway Disc 21Exray Vision 2(’Til) Can’t Take It Anymore 3Soul Stew 4Low Lights (I’ll Be Waiting) (instrumental) 5Cloud Nine 6Beware 7Serious Joke 8Goosy 9Prove It 10Boss Society 11Mean and Dangerous 12Games People Play 13Set Me Free 14Tribute to a King (aka King of the Trombone) 15Lennox Mood 16You Betray Me 17Never Get Away (Caught You Red‐Handed) 18Feel the Spirit 19Soul Juice 20Will You Still Love Me (Tomorrow) 21Ram You Hard 22Hello Dolly 23The Result 24Shocks of Mighty (aka Hit Me Back) | Compilation | 9 April 2019 | |
| — | Return of Django / Eastwood Rides AgainSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 26 tracks · 1:10:331Return of Django2:32 2Touch of Fire2:40 3Cold Sweat2:50 4Drugs and Poison3:14 5Soulful I2:36 6Night Doctor2:51 7One Punch2:43 8Eight for Eight3:06 9A Live Injection3:17 10Man From M.I.52:40 11Ten to Twelve2:33 12Medical Operation3:10 13Eastwood Rides Again2:58 14Hit Me2:28 15Knock on Wood2:45 16Popcorn2:09 17Catch This2:17 18You Are Adorable3:28 19Capsol2:26 20Power Pack2:29 21Dollar in the Teeth2:36 22Baby Baby2:16 23Django (Ol' Man River)2:32 24Red Hot2:47 25Salt and Pepper2:37 26Tight Spot2:33 | Compilation | — | |
| — | Eternal Dubs: Chapter 2Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks1Brad Draw 2Clocktower Version 3Clocktower Station 4Wa Fi Do 5Jah Dub 6Love Version 7Deliah Dub 8Ital Locks 9Ital Dub 10Dark Moon 11Moon Version 12Looking Dread 13Dreaded Version 14Iron Fist 15Kung Fu Man 16When Jah Come | Compilation | — |
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Guide Line / Guide DubSearch SpotifySearch YouTube Music | 2012 |
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put The Upsetters head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 16 | 74.5th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 39 | 92.5th |
| Studio albums | 15 | 94.6th |
| Awards recorded | 0 | 0th |
| Timeline events | 17 | 92.4th |
| Recording span (years) | 52 | 92.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grady Gaines | 1956 | present | tenor saxophone |
| Aston “Family Man” Barrett | — | present | |
| Aston “Family Man” Barrett | — | present | |
| Augustus Pablo | — | present | |
| Augustus Pablo | — | present | |
| Blondie Chaplin | — | present | |
| Boris Gardiner | — | present | |
| Boris Gardiner | — | present | |
| Carlton “Carly” Barrett | — | present | |
| Carlton “Carly” Barrett | — | present | |
| Dave Barker | — | present | |
| Gare du Nord | — | present | |
| Glen Adams | — | present | |
| Glen da Costa | — | present | |
| Jah Lion | — | present | |
| Lee “Scratch” Perry | — | present | |
| Lee “Scratch” Perry | — | present | |
| Lowell “Sly” Dunbar | — | present | |
| Lowell “Sly” Dunbar | — | present | |
| Max Romeo | — | present | |
| Max Romeo | — | present | |
| Ricky Fataar | — | present | |
| Robert Johnson | — | present | guitar |
| Robert “Robbie” Shakespeare | — | present | |
| Vin Gordon | — | present | |
| Winston Wright | — | present |
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026biography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q286596 · MusicBrainz: 7bcf8b20-72a6-48b1-bad3-b28869090dda
Ranked from this record's own data: shared genre tags (rarer tags weigh more), era, home country and comparable fame. Every card lists the signals that placed it — no editorial picks.

Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1970, 3 years apart · from Jamaica
21 wikis
Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1967, same year · from Jamaica
9 wikis
Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1969, 2 years apart · from Jamaica
9 wikis

Jamaica · Group
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1970, 3 years apart · from Jamaica
23.7M listeners · 24 wikis

Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1972 · from Jamaica
15 wikis
Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1971 · from Jamaica
9 wikis

Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1974 · from Jamaica
9 wikis

Jamaica · Person
reggae
1 shared genre tag · debut 1973 · from Jamaica
8 wikis