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Jamaican music singer John Holt recently passed away. What a great singer. John Holt has a number of very significant qualities that will last over time: Holt was the lead singer for a classic Jamaican harmony group, The Paragons. Holt scored iconic hits with The Paragons like “On The Beach” and “Tide Is High” which was an early crossover hit. Holt then continued with a solo career and again created smash hits with “Ali Baba,” “Stealing, Stealing,” “Police In Helicopter, and “Up Park Camp.” Holt sang the original of “A Love I Can Feel” which became one of the most prominent versioned Reggae songs in history. Holt also sang many of the classic Reggae songs and placed his original touch – marking them as Holt classics: “Only A Smile,” “Before The Next Teardrop,” Tribal War,” and “Can I Change My Mind.”
John Holt was a Jamaican super star from a young age and his career spanned decades of music, from Ska, to Rocksteady, to Reggae, and in to modern day Dancehall.
Take a listen to many of his great and more obscure tunes which are featured in this podcast.
John Holt selections:
(Nov 2014, R. Lowe)
1. You Must Believe Me, Super Star, Weed Beat, 1976 Dynamic Sounds
2. I’ve Got To Go Back Home, (same as above)
3. Since I Met You Baby
4. Last Thing On My Mind, Slow Dancing, Moodies (NYC), Recorded at HC&F (Phillip Smart)
5. Why Did You Leave (Written by Leroy Sibbles), (same as above)
6. Body Language (with Gregory Isaacs), Digital B 7”
7. Youth Pon De Corner (alt to Police in Helicopter), Jah Guidance 7”, Produced by Junjo Lawes
8. My Best Girl (with Bounty Killer), Tad’s 7”,
9. Stick By Me -
10. Forever I’ll Stay (Featuring Dennis Sindrey on guitar) –
11. I Cried All My Tears (as John Holt and The Vagabonds), (With Dennis Sindrey on guitar)
12. John Holt and The Paragons, Darling I Need Your Loving, Studio One For Lovers CD
13. Reggae From The Ghetto, Trojan Carnival CD
14. Ghetto Girl, The Trojan Story Volume Two
15. I Can’t get You Off My Mind – Hutch Music 7”, 1990, NYC
16. Give Me Some Loving (With Wolfman), (same as above)
17. Version
18. Stealing – Black Scorpio 7” (Scorpio Treatment) , 1980
19. Tribal War – Toro 7”, 1978, produced by McKenzie
20. Carpenter – Jammy$, 1989
21. Up Park Camp – Jammy$, 1990
