John Holt | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Kenneth Holt |
| Born | (1947-07-11)11 July 1947 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | 19 October 2014(2014-10-19) (aged 67) St John's Wood, London, England |
| Genres | Ska,rocksteady,reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 1959–2014 |
| Labels | Treasure Isle,Greensleeves |
| Formerly of | The Paragons |
John Kenneth HoltOD (11 July 1947[1] – 19 October 2014[2]) was a Jamaicanreggae singer who first found fame as a member ofThe Paragons, before establishing himself as a solo artist.
Holt was born in theGreenwich Farm area ofKingston in 1947.[3] His mother Amy was a nurse.[4] By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres byVere Johns, winning 28 contests, some broadcast live onRadio Jamaica.[3][5][6]
He recorded his first single in 1963 with "Forever I'll Stay"/"I Cried a Tear" for record producerLeslie Kong, and also recorded aduet withAlton Ellis, "Rum Bumper", for producerVincent "Randy" Chin.[5][6][7]
In 1965 Holt joinedBob Andy, 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.[7] They initially recorded forClement "Coxsone" Dodd'sStudio One before cutting a succession of singles forDuke Reid at his Treasure Isle Studio in therocksteady 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" (later made famous byBlondie and also covered byAtomic Kitten).[8] "Wear You to the Ball" was another of his hits with the Paragons, and it made the charts again whenU-Roy (whom he had introduced to Duke Reid) recorded aDeejay version over it.[3] 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.[3][7] During his time with the Paragons, he also recorded solo material forBunny Lee ("Tonight"), andHarry J.[5][6] He subsequently concentrated on his solo career, recording forPrince Buster ("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"), andPhil Pratt ("My Heart Is Gone").[3]
By the early 1970s, he was one of the biggest stars of reggae, and his work with producer Lee was key to his success;[9] "Stick By Me" was the biggest selling Jamaican record of 1972, one of a number of records recorded with Lee.[3][5] His 1973Harry Mudie-produced album,Time Is The Master, was successful, with orchestral arrangements recorded in London by Tony Ashfield.[3] The success of the string-laden reggae led toTrojan Records issuing a series of similarly arranged albums produced by Ashfield starting with the1,000 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-produced3,000 Volts of Holt).1,000 Volts spawned the UKTop 10 hit "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (written byKris Kristofferson), which peaked at number 6.[10]
He had success back in Jamaica in 1976 with "Up Park Camp" (on a reworking ofthe Heptones' "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 producerHenry "Junjo" Lawes, and a standout appearance at the 1982Reggae Sunsplash festival.[3][6][7] "Police in Helicopter" was a condemnation of the Jamaican government's crackdown on marijuana plantations.[11] The cover to the album single pictured Holt growing locks and a beard,[12] an indication of the increasing importance ofRastafari in his life.[3] He continued to tour regularly, performed several times at Sunsplash in the 1990s, and performed in the United Kingdom with theRoyal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, with a live album taken from these shows released in 2001.
In 2004 he was awarded theOrder of Distinction (Commander Class) by the Jamaican government for his contribution to Jamaican music.[4][13]
Holt's style, notably slower and more romantic than most of his contemporaries, is a recognisable forerunner of thelovers rock subgenre.
His song "Man Next Door" has been covered by numerous other reggae artists, includingDennis Brown,UB40 andHorace Andy. The latter sang in a more electronic vein for theMassive Attack albumMezzanine.
In February 2022, the 1973 compilation of Holt's recordings,1000 Volts of Holt, receivedgold certification from theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales in the UK.[14]
Having been taken ill at the One Love Festival on 16 August,[15] Holt died on 19 October 2014 in theWellington Hospital in London.[2][16][17] He had been diagnosed withcolon cancer in June 2014.[18][19]
He is survived by his wife Valerie, 12 children, and 25 grandchildren.[20] His funeral took place on 17 November atHoly Trinity Cathedral in Kingston, and featured performances byU-Roy,The Silvertones,Tinga Stewart,Boris Gardiner,George Nooks,Luciano,Carlene Davis,Ken Boothe, and members of Holt's family, backed byLloyd Parks and the We the People Band. He was buried at Dovecot Memorial Park.[21][22]
There have also been dozens of compilations of Holt's work, starting in the early 1970s with aGreatest Hits compilation from Studio One, and notably followed by the1,000 Volts... series on Trojan Records.[5]
