Existing between 1974-1979, The Black Ark players is the alternative name for the 3rd line-up of The Upsetters, the studio backing band of Jamaican Reggae producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, a.k.a. "The Upsetter".

Boris Gardiner (bass), Mikey Richards, Sly Dunbar and Benbow Creary (drums), Earl "Chinna" Smith (guitar), Winston Wright and Keith Stirling (keyboards) can be considered the core of the band. They developed the new psychedelic sound unique to Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio (from the band derives its name), which was impressively captured on albums like Super Ape, Heart Of The Congos and War Ina Babylon.

Perry himself purports that he deliberately burned down the Black Ark one morning in 1983, to eventually turn his back on Jamaican Reggae for good. The story of the Upsetters ends around 1986 and can be told in various different ways. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.