Reggae Singer John Holt

by DRW
(Jamaica)

Reggae singer John Holt born John Kenneth Holt on July 11, 1947 in Kingston Jamaica.

Holt started his singing career from as early as age 12 when he entered a number of talent contests hosted by Vere Johns at Jamaican theatres.

He recorded his first single "I Cried a Tear" in 1963 for producer Leslie Kong.

In 1964 John joined popular rocksteady group "The Paragons" as the lead singer. The Paragons were originally Garth "Tyrone" Evans, Bob Andy, Junior Menz, and Leroy Stamp. Stamp was replaced by John Holt, and Howard Barret replaced Menz.

He went on to released top tracks such as "Ali Baba", "Tonight", "I See Your Face", "The Tide Is High" and "Wear You To The Ball"

During his time with the Paragons, he also recorded solo material for Studio One (including "Fancy Make-up", "A Love I Can Feel", "Let's Build Our Dreams", and "OK Fred") and Prince Buster ("Oh Girl", and "My Heart Is Gone").

In 1970 he left the Paragons and by the mid 1970s he was one of the biggest reggae star in Jamaica. 1972 was one of the biggest year of his music career, with the released of "Stick By Me". This was one of the biggest selling record for that year.

John Holt released his first studio album in 1970 titled " A Love I Can Feel". This was followed by

* Holt (1971)
* Still in Chains (1971)
* Greatest Hits (1972)

* OK Fred (1972)
* Pledging My Love (1972)
* The Further You Look (1973)
* Time Is The Master (1973)
* Dusty Roads (1974)
* Before the Next Tear Drop (1976)
* Up Park Camp (1976)
* Channel One Presents The Magnificent John Holt (1977)
* Roots of Holt (1977)
* Showcase (New Disco Style) (1977)
* Holt Goes Disco (1978)
* In Demand (1978)
* Let It Go On (1978)
* Super Star (1978)
* The Impressable feat. Harry J
* A1 Disco Showcase (1981)
* Introspective (1980)
* My Desire (1980)
* Just the Two of Us (1982)
* Sweetie Come Brush Me (1982)
* Gold (1983) Creole
* Police in Helicopter (1983)
* For Lovers and Dancers (1984)
* Live In London (1984)
* Wild Fire (1985) feat Dennis Brown)
* Vibes (1985)
* The Reggae Christmas Hits Album (1986)
* From One Extreme to Another (1986)
* Time Is The Master (1988)
* Rock With Me Baby (1988)
* If I Were a Carpenter (1989)
* Why I Care (1989)
* Reggae, Hip House, R&B Flavor (1993)
* Peacemaker (1993)

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

With a career spanning more than 4 decades he can truly now be called a legend of Reggae and Rocksteady Music.