Bunny “Striker” Lee, born Edward O’Sullivan Lee in the Greenwich Town neighborhood of Kingston, Jamaica, in 1941, was one of the most prolific producers of his generation. He was responsible for the lion’s share of reggae recorded during the genre’s golden era of the 1970s.

Bunny Lee began producing in the mid 1960s, with early hits like “Never Let You Go” by The Uniques and Slim Smith’s classic “My Conversation.” Following these successes, Lee travelled to London in 1968, where he helped establish Trojan Records while also working with PAMA records. His 1969 production “Wet Dream” by Max Romeo would spend 26 weeks on the BBC’s charts, despite it being banned from the airwaves for its risqué euphemisms.

During the early 1970s, Lee helped Osbourne Ruddock, better known as “King Tubby” obtain a full mixing console, making Tubby’s studio the go-to place for recording and mixing dubs, a revolutionary new approach to production that would have a lasting, global impact.

Also during the mid-1970s, Lee and his musicians, The Aggrovators, developed the wildly popular “flying symbol” sound, which propelled hits by Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, Horace Andy, Linval Thompson, and others.

Bunny Lee’s production slowed down during the 1980s, but re-releases from labels including Blood & Fire, Pressure Sounds, Soul Jazz, 17 North Parade, and Trojan Records have helped reintroduce his classic works to newer generations. Bunny Lee passed away in 2020, but his music and legacy live on.