John Holt was an immensely popular Jamaican singer-songwriter renowned for his honeyed voice and romantic compositions with flute, horn and string overdubs. His initial recordings with Trojan Records in Britain helped build his international renown. These debut releases helped cement John’s standing internationally.
His 2000 and 3000 Volts of Holt albums proved that he could sweeten music without resorting to saccharine; unfortunately, their success wasn’t as high.
He was a vocalist
John Kenneth Holt was a popular Jamaican singer-songwriter during the rocksteady era in the 1960s as lead vocalist of Paragons band. With his distinctive vocal range and songwriting capabilities, Holt became one of the most beloved Jamaican artists during this era. Born in Greenwich Farm area of Kingston and first starting singing as a teenager as part of school choir choir he further refined his talent over time.
Beverley began recording professionally for Leslie Kong at Beverley Records, before joining Bob Andy, Garth “Tyrone” Evans and Howard Barrett to form The Paragons the following year. Already popular among Jamaican audiences before they adopted rocksteady as an act, their popularity skyrocketed once they recorded at Clement “Coxsone” Dodd’s rival studio – Studio One. Within months they became one of Jamaica’s best-selling groups.
Holt eventually left the Paragons in 1970 to pursue a solo career, with 1973’s Stick By Me album being his first success as a solo act. Additionally, Holt collaborated with Bunny Lee to record several hit singles that established an international profile – pushing reggae music beyond its boundaries and becoming the first Jamaican artist ever to perform alongside London Symphony Orchestra.
Holt was also well-respected among deejays and many of his hits were versioned by them – U-Roy’s iconic rendition of “Wear You to the Ball” being an outstanding success story. Other deejays who performed his songs included Dennis Alcapone and Yellowman.
Holt first became associated with Rastafarianism during the early 1980s and released socially conscious songs as early as 1987. By late 1987 he had earned acclaim as a cultural hero due to songs such as “Police in Helicopter,” which denounced Jamaican government crackdown of marijuana plantations operations. Over 40 albums were produced throughout his career – his greatest hit being “Police in Helicopter”. Unfortunately this August while performing live at Milton Keynes One Love Festival he collapsed while performing and died shortly afterwards in hospital – leaving his wife Valerie behind as well as their children Matthew David John-Charlie John Garth, Brian.
He was a songwriter
John Holt was widely revered as one of Jamaica’s most influential artists, best known for his unparalleled style of songwriting, singing and entertaining during a career that spanned more than five decades. Responsible for some of reggae’s greatest moments during this period; Holt also contributed significantly towards shaping it to what it is today; known for his distinctive voice and smooth crooning he earned himself the moniker “Frank Sinatra of reggae.”
The Guardian newspaper recognized Holt as one of the key musicians at the forefront of Jamaican music. Over his lifetime, he produced and composed ska, rocksteady and reggae tunes as well as easy listening cover versions on popular albums.
Holt’s career got off the ground after joining Tyrone Evans and Howard Barrett’s Paragons vocal group; by 1964 they had become Jamaica’s best-selling group. Following the departure of other members, Holt began his solo career, producing several popular albums under Trojan Records in Britain such as 1000 Volts of Holt which showcased his romantic compositions.
Holt’s combination of sophisticated arrangements with raw urban Jamaican rhythms proved popular in the UK, where his album topped the reggae chart. Some purists criticised Holt for abandoning his musical integrity for commercial appeal; nonetheless he continued releasing socially conscious pieces such as Police in Helicopter in 1983.
Holt’s style was more romantic and slow-tempo than most of his contemporaries, earning him recognition as a pioneer of lovers rock subgenre. His song Man Next Door has been covered by various artists including Dennis Brown and UB40; Holt was also regularly performing at Miami reggae festivals.
Holt’s untimely death at age 69 came as a shock to fans, though it was confirmed by his manager Copeland Forbes who noted he passed away at a London hospital at 2:40am on Sunday morning.
He was a producer
Holt joined Jamaican vocal group the Paragons in 1964 and quickly established himself as one of its most acclaimed acts. Alongside their singing duties, composers and arrangers also contributed rock steady music that fit perfectly with Holt’s relaxed style – this format produced hit after hit single. Alongside single releases such as 1973 Trojan’s “The Further You Look”, 1974 Dusty Roads and 1975 “Sings For I.”, as well as several albums released under their moniker were recorded by them over their lifespan.
After recording freelancing for producers like Clement Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid, and Harry Mudie without receiving royalties he felt were due him, Holt formed an alliance with British manager/producer Tony Ashfield. Together they established Chaguaranmas Productions; using dubbing technology they paired rhythm tracks recorded in Jamaica with string and horn overdubs added at Audio International studio in London – creating albums which cemented Holt as one of reggae music’s premier artists.
Holt’s reputation as a producer grew substantially as he collaborated with artists outside Jamaica, such as British singers Doris Troy and Liza Strike, which caused some purists to view this approach to production as selling out; nonetheless, music buyers quickly took notice and produced some of his greatest hits.
Holt produced records for various labels in Jamaica and the UK throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, including his highly successful album 1000 Volts of Holt (Trojan in U.K.) which enjoyed considerable success; subsequent follow-up albums “2000 Volts of Holt” and “3000 Volts of Holt” did not fare as well, while Holt’s popularity declined with reggae’s shift toward more radical Rastafarian-influenced soundscapes.
Holt’s popularity declined, yet he continued sharing his gift of song with Jamaicans and international reggae community for some time after his decline in fame before retiring permanently from music and dying at age 67 in 2014. His legacy lives on, however; Bamm believes today’s tunes provide greater scope for expression than did those from his generation, believing modern reggae may become just as successful in time as its predecessors were.
He was a musician
John Holt was an esteemed Jamaican reggae musician and singer best known for his smooth yet soulful crooning style. First made popular as part of vocal group the Paragons, later becoming a solo artist himself. Moving with Jamaica’s music scene from rocksteady in the ’60s with The Paragons to reggae in the 1970s with The Clash; many consider John’s recordings classics by fans today.
Holt first gained fame when he released the 1983 album Police in Helicopter as a protest against marijuana cultivation, becoming an instantaneous hit in Jamaica; its title track remains a reggae classic; also included were songs from Henry “Junjo” Lawes whose deep roots rhythms perfectly complimented Holt’s singing style.
Holt was not widely recognized outside of Jamaica until he joined British manager/producer Tony Ashfield, who had operated UK-based sound systems prior to becoming Holt’s manager/producer. Ashfield helped Holt develop as a singer while also inviting him into the studio to record several singles and albums under his management.
Trojan Records of the United Kingdom released Holt’s album 1000 Volts of Holt in 1973 and it became an immediate success, reaching #1 on both Pop charts as well as Billboard Reggae charts in Britain. Kris Kristofferson’s Help Me Make It Through the Night was covered here as well – giving Holt the opportunity to realize his full potential as a Reggae performer.
Three years later, he released another album with Trojan called Up Park Camp that featured more of a roots sound but featured similar sweetened string arrangements as those found on 1000 Volts of Holt.
Holt’s second album earned him widespread acclaim and became one of Jamaica’s most renowned performers at that time. He also was a regular feature at Reggae Sunsplash Festival until his death from cancer in October 2014; even now reggae musicians continue to praise his talent and contribution to their genre.