John Kenneth Holt CD (11 July 1947 – 19 October 2014) was a Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

singer who first found fame as a member of

The Paragons The Paragons were a ska and rocksteady vocal group from Kingston, Jamaica, initially active in the 1960s. Their most famous track was "The Tide Is High", written by band member John Holt. Career The Paragons were originally Garth "Tyrone" Ev ...

, before establishing himself as a solo artist.

Early life

Holt was born in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston in 1947.Thompson, Dave (2002), ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , pp. 117–120. His mother Amy was a nurse.Ustanny, Avia (2004),
You Inspired Me
", ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 7 November 2004. Retrieved 25 October 2014. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns, winning 28 contests, some broadcast live on

Radio Jamaica Radio Jamaica, also known as RJR 94 FM, and formerly Real Jamaican Radio, is a broadcast company in Jamaica with headquarters in Kingston. History On 9 July 1950, a commercial license to operate as a subsidiary of the British Rediffusion Grou ...

.Larkin, Colin (1998), ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, .Black, Roy (2014)
Holt: One Of The Most Enduring Jamaican Singers
, ''Jamaica Gleaner'', 23 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.

Career and recognition

He recorded his first single in 1963 with "Forever I'll Stay"/"I Cried a Tear" for record producer Leslie Kong, and also recorded a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a sol ...

with

Alton Ellis Alton Nehemiah Ellis (1 September 1938 – 10 October 2008)Godfather ...

, "Rum Bumper", for producer Vincent "Randy" Chin.Grossinger, Richard (2005), ''On the Integration of Nature: Post 9-11 Biopolitical Notes'', North Atlantic Books, , pp. 166–176. In 1965 Holt joined

Bob Andy Keith Anderson CD (28 October 1944 – 27 March 2020), better known by the stage name Bob Andy, was a Jamaican reggae vocalist and songwriter. He was widely regarded as one of reggae's most influential songwriters. Early life Anderson was bo ...

, Garth "Tyrone" Evans, and Junior Menz in their group the Binders; Menz departed to be replaced by Howard Barrett and they changed their name to the Paragons. They initially recorded for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One before cutting a succession of singles for Duke Reid at his Treasure Isle Studio in the

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

era of 1966–1968; They enjoyed a string of hits, including "Ali Baba", "Tonight", "I See Your Face", and the Holt-penned "

The Tide Is High "The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover ver ...

" (later made famous by Blondie and also covered by Atomic Kitten). "Wear You to the Ball" was another of his hits with the Paragons, and it made the charts again when

U-Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

(whom he had introduced to Duke Reid) recorded a

Deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

version over it. With Andy having left early on, the departures of Barrett (in 1969) and Evans (in 1970), who had both won scholarships in the US, brought the group to an end. During his time with the Paragons, he also recorded solo material for Bunny Lee ("Tonight"), and

Harry J Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer. Biography Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player be ...

. He subsequently concentrated on his solo career, recording for

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

("Oh Girl", "Rain From the Skies"), Reid ("Stealing Stealing", "Ali Baba"), Dodd (including "Fancy Make-up", " A Love I Can Feel", "Let's Build Our Dreams" and " OK Fred"), Alvin Ranglin ("Strange Things"), and Phil Pratt ("My Heart Is Gone"). By the early 1970s, he was one of the biggest stars of reggae, and his work with producer Lee was key to his success; "Stick By Me" was the biggest selling Jamaican record of 1972, one of a number of records recorded with Lee. His 1973

Harry Mudie Harry A. Mudie (born 1940 in Spanish Town, Jamaica) is a Jamaican record producer.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p. 315 Biography Harry Mudie attended the St Jago High School.Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Vi ...

-produced album, ''Time Is The Master'', was successful, with orchestral arrangements recorded in London by Tony Ashfield. The success of the string-laden reggae led to

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck ...

issuing a series of similarly arranged albums produced by Ashfield starting with the ''1,000 Volts of Holt'' in 1973, a compilation of Holt's reggae cover versions of popular hits (and later followed by similarly named releases up to the Lee-produced ''3,000 Volts of Holt''). ''1,000 Volts'' spawned the UK Top 10 hit " Help Me Make It Through the Night" (written by

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...

), which peaked at number 6, and included covers of

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo artist since th ...

's " Just the Way You Are" and "

Touch Me in the Morning "Touch Me in the Morning" is a song recorded by Diana Ross on the Motown label. It was written by Ron Miller and Michael Masser, and produced by the latter and Tom Baird. It was released on May 3, 1973 as the first single from her album of the ...

" by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

. He had success back in Jamaica in 1976 with "Up Park Camp" (on a reworking of

the Heptones The Heptones are a Jamaican rocksteady and reggae vocal trio most active in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were one of the more significant trios of that era, and played a major role in the gradual transition between ska and rocksteady into ...

' "Get in the Groove" rhythm), and his success continued into the 1980s with tracks such as "Police in Helicopter" and "Fat She Fat", recorded with producer

Henry "Junjo" Lawes Henry "Junjo" Lawes (1960 in Kingston, Jamaica – 13 June 1999 in London, England) was a highly influential Jamaican record producer and a sound engineer. Biography Born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica, Lawes began working ...

, and a standout appearance at the 1982

Reggae Sunsplash Reggae Sunsplash is a reggae music festival first staged in 1978 in the northern part of Jamaica. In 1985 it expanded with the addition of an international touring festival. The festival ran annually until 1996, with a final event in 1998, befo ...

festival. "Police in Helicopter" was a condemnation of the Jamaican government's crackdown on marijuana plantations. The cover to the album single pictured Holt growing locks and a beard, an indication of the increasing importance of

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control o ...

in his life. He continued to tour regularly, performed several times at Sunsplash in the 1990s, and performed in the United Kingdom with the

Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, with a live album taken from these shows released in 2001. In 2004 he was awarded the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Act'') ...

(Commander Class) by the Jamaican government for his contribution to Jamaican music. Holt's style, notably slower and more romantic than most of his contemporaries, is a recognisable forerunner of the

lovers rock Lovers' rock is a style of reggae music noted for its romantic sound and content. While love songs had been an important part of reggae since the late 1960s, the style was given a greater focus and a name in London in the mid-1970s.Larkin, Col ...

subgenre. His song " Man Next Door" has been covered by numerous other reggae artists, including

Dennis Brown Dennis Emmanuel Brown CD (1 February 1957 – 1 July 1999) was a Jamaican reggae singer. During his prolific career, which began in the late 1960s when he was aged eleven, he recorded more than 75 albums and was one of the major stars of lo ...

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

and

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tr ...

. The latter sang in a more electronic vein for the

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws, Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. The debut Massive Attack album '' Blue Lines'' was releas ...

album ''

Mezzanine A mezzanine (; or in Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft with non-sloped ...

''. In February 2022, the 1973 compilation of Holt's recordings, ''1000 Volts of Holt'', received

gold certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

from the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

(BPI) for sales in the UK.

Personal life and death

Having been taken ill at the One Love Festival on 16 August, Holt died on 19 October 2014 in the Wellington Hospital in London. He had been diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowe ...

in June 2014. He is survived by his wife Valerie, 12 children, and 25 grandchildren. His funeral took place on 17 November at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston, and featured performances by

, The Silvertones, Tinga Stewart, Boris Gardiner,

George Nooks George Nooks, Prince Mohamed, Prince Mohammed, or George Knooks (born c. 1958 in Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer who initially found fame as a deejay. Biography Nooks started his musical career in the youth choir at his church, and move ...

, Luciano,

Carlene Davis Carlene Davis (born c.1953) is a Jamaican gospel and reggae singer active since the 1970s. Successful since the early 1980s as a reggae artist, she survived cancer in the mid-1990s, after which she dedicated her career to gospel music. She has r ...

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

, and members of Holt's family, backed by Lloyd Parks and the We the People Band. He was buried at Dovecot Memorial Park.Grizzle, Shereita (2014),
Ex-Holt-Ation! Musical Send-Off For John Holt"
''Jamaica Gleaner'', 18 November 2014. Retrieved 18 November 2014.

Album discography

*''A Love I Can Feel'' (1971), Bamboo *''Like a Bolt'' (1971), Treasure Isle *''OK Fred'' (1972), Melodisc *''Holt'' (1973), Jaguar *''Still in Chains'' (1973), Trojan *''Pledging My Love'' (1972), Jackpot/Trojan *''Time Is the Master'' (1973), Moodisc *''Presenting the Fabulous John Holt'' (1974), Magnet *''The Further You Look'' (1974), Trojan *''Dusty Roads'' (1974), Trojan *''Sings for I'' (1974), Trojan *''A Love I Can Feel'' (1974), Attack *''Don't Break Your Promise'' (1974), Lord Koos *''Before the Next Tear Drop'' (1976), Klik *''Up Park Camp'' (1976), Channel One *''World of Love'' (1977), Justice *''Channel One Presents the Magnificent John Holt'' (1977), Channel One *''Roots of Holt'' (1977), Trojan *''Showcase (New Disco Style)'' (1977), Thunderbolt *''Holt Goes Disco'' (1977), Trojan *''In Demand'' (1978), Dynamic Sounds *''Let It Go On'' (1978), Trojan *''Super Star'' (1978), Weed Beat *''The Impressable John Holt (Disco Mix)'' (1978), Harry J *''Peace in the Sun'' (1978), Volt *''Just a Country Boy'' (1978), Trojan *''Introspective'' (1980), Dynamic Sounds *''My Desire'' (1980), Jackpot *''Children of the World'' (1981), VP *''A1 Disco Showcase'' (1981), Taurus *''Just the Two of Us'' (1982), CSA *''Sweetie Come Brush Me'' (1982), Volcano *''Gold'' (1983), Creole *''Police in Helicopter'' (1983), Greensleeves/Arrival *''For Lovers and Dancers'' (1984), Trojan *''Live in London'' (1984), Very Good *''Pure Gold'' (1985), Vista Sounds *''Wild Fire'' (1985), Natty Congo/Tad's (with

) *''Vibes'' (1985), Leggo Sounds *''The Reggae Christmas Hits Album'' (1986), Trojan *''From One Extreme to Another'' (1986), Beta *''Time Is the Master'' (1988), Creole *''Sweetie Come Brush Me – Greatest Hits'' (1988), ROHIT *''Rock with Me Baby'' (1988), Trojan *''If I Were a Carpenter'' (1989) *''Why I Care'' (1989), Greensleeves *''Reggae, Hip House, R&B Flavor'' (1993) *''Reggae Peacemaker'' (1993), House of Reggae *''All Night Long'' (1997), MIL *''New Horizon'' (1998), VP *''John Holt in Symphony with The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra'' (2001), Jet Star *''Born Free'' (2001) *''Fist Full of Holt'' (2009) There have also been dozens of compilations of Holt's work, starting in the early 1970s with a ''Greatest Hits'' compilation from Studio One, and notably followed by the ''1,000 Volts...'' series on Trojan Records.

DVDs

*''John Holt in Symphony With the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra'' (2003) *''John Holt & Freddie McGregor – Living Legends Live in Concert'' (2011)

References

External links

John Holt biography
at

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

website
Riddimguide informationJohn Holt at Roots Archives

"Veteran reggae singer John Holt dies aged 69"
''Guardian'' music, 20 October 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, John 1947 births 2014 deaths Deaths from colorectal cancer Jamaican reggae musicians Rocksteady musicians Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Island Records artists Trojan Records artists Recipients of the Order of Distinction Jamaican male singers Deaths from cancer in England VP Records artists Greensleeves Records artists