John Holt Biography
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 11 July 1947, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. At the age of 12 Holt’s voice was a regular feature of the talent contests run by Vere Johns at various Jamaican theatres, and by 1963 Holt had cut his first single, ‘I Cried A Tear’/‘Forever I’ll Stay’, for Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s label. Holt also recorded duets with Alton Ellis for Randy’s, including ‘Rum Bumper’ (1964). Between 1965 and 1970 he was lead singer with the Paragons, one of the smoothest, most accomplished vocal trios in reggae, and heavily dependent on Holt’s precise, creamy tenor. The group’s work with producer Duke Reid was impeccable, and they enjoyed a string of hits, ‘Ali Baba’, ‘Tonight’ and ‘I See Your Face’, among them. Holt, sometimes with the Paragons, also worked with Studio One on sides such as ‘Fancy Make-Up’, ‘A Love I Can Feel’, ‘Let’s Build Our Dreams’ and ‘OK Fred’ (later a chart smash for Errol Dunkley), as well as Prince Buster (‘Oh Girl’, ‘My Heart Is Gone’).
By the early 70s Holt was one of reggae’s biggest stars and ready to cross over into the pop market. His ‘Stick By Me’, one of dozens of songs he cut with producer Bunny Lee, was the biggest-selling Jamaican record of 1972. Just over a year later, his Time Is The Master set for producer Harry Mudie proved a masterpiece, and pointed the way ahead: fine songs (among them cover versions of Ivory Joe Hunter’s ‘It May Sound Silly’ and Brook Benton’s ‘Looking Back’), heavy rhythms, and a sweet addition of lush, orchestral arrangements recorded in London. Trojan Records issued a bestselling series of Bunny Lee-produced John Holt albums, and brought him to London to work with Tony Ashfield, who again used string arrangements. In December 1974 he achieved a huge pop hit across Europe with ‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’, but Holt was more than a balladeer, and by 1976 he was enjoying further Jamaican success with ‘Up Park Camp’, a massive roots hit for producer Joseph ‘Joe Joe’ Hookim. A brief experiment with disco (Holt Goes Disco) was virtually the only blot on Holt’s copybook during the 70s, and he has continued to work in a contemporary style to the present day, occasionally enjoying enormous roots reggae hits (‘Police In Helicopter’ in 1987) while still being willing to work in other styles, as demonstrated by the Reggae, Hip House, R&B Flavor album title he employed in 1993. He remains a unique talent, perhaps underrated among more élitist fans because of his flirtation with the pop world.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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11 July 1947, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. At the age of 12 Holt’s voice was a regular feature of the talent contests run by Vere Johns at various Jamaican theatres, and by 1963 Holt had cut his first single, ‘I Cried A Tear’/‘Forever I’ll Stay’, for Leslie Kong’s Beverley’s label. Holt also recorded duets with Alton Ellis for Randy’s, including ‘Rum Bumper’ (1964). Between 1965 and 1970 he was lead singer with the Paragons, one of the smoothest, most accomplished vocal trios in reggae, and heavily dependent on Holt’s precise, creamy tenor. The group’s work with producer Duke Reid was impeccable, and they enjoyed a string of hits, ‘Ali Baba’, ‘Tonight’ and ‘I See Your Face’, among them. Holt, sometimes with the Paragons, also worked with Studio One on sides such as ‘Fancy Make-Up’, ‘A Love I Can Feel’, ‘Let’s Build Our Dreams’ and ‘OK Fred’ (later a chart smash for Errol Dunkley), as well as Prince Buster (‘Oh Girl’, ‘My Heart Is Gone’).