John Holt: Still Riding the Tide

His catalogue includes a staggering 60 plus albums; which stretches well beyond the scope of many legends gone and many legends present. Retrospectively, his works have often been considered as a precursor to what we now often term as lovers rock. Holt is still after all a pioneer who introduced a totally different aesthetic to the Jamaican music business, and after all, still an unsung hero. Long before it was cool to blend genres, Holt played London with a full orchestra accompaniment and long before it was cool to be a lyricist, he was penning mind boggling reggae anthems.

.
His local anthems which made him sensational in Jamaica have been covered many times over by a host of singers; in effect attesting to his innate songwriting gift. When Blondie covered his ''The Tide Is High'' record, the resonance was global. The band hit charts worldwide with the cover (#1 in the UK and US, 1980) and sparked a greater interest in the singer/songwriter and not to mention reggae.

Imagine trying to absorb all of these elements of Holt in to a single best of album? Near next to impossible. Still compilations have been numerous, as they at best review his career over particular time spans. Sifting through the many such compilations, the ''….Volts of Holt '' series (1,000 to 3,000) surely jump out, revealing strong takes of both original and cover tunes.

From a tender age twelve, John Holt had set his sights on music. He began to appear everywhere, studios, concerts and more significantly talent shows. After working the talent show circuit, Holt went on to join the infamous Paragons. Their glory days spawned hits a many. Hits like ''Tonight'', ''Ali Baba'' and of course the now virtually astral ''The Tide Is High'' number, which bore Holt's lyrical imprint. The Paragons went far, still Holt was prepared to go further. In a kind of irony of sorts, he made his exit from the Paragons after cutting the ''Hello and Goodbye'' single.

As a solo act, Holt quickly established a reputation as an incomparable vocalists not to mention a killer stage act. John Kenneth Holt or more simply, John Holt began the new journey with his ''I Cried a Tear'' single with Leslie Kong holding the production reigns. The John Holt from back then and even the John Holt of today distinguishes himself from the cadre of hardcore roots acts as a slower, almost too romantic singer. Classics like '''A Love I Can Feel'' translate his message all too clearly.

His cult hit '''Police In Helicopter'' quickly draws the line between Holt the slick crooner and Holt the roots-man. Gifted within him is the ability to move seamlessly between roots and lovers rock and in effect blur all lines between these sub genres.