John Holt

John Holt (born John Kenneth Holt, 11 July 1947, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae singer and songwriter. He first achieved prominence in his home country as lead singer of The Paragons. They are best remembered for the Holt penned song "The Tide Is High", later made famous by Blondie and also covered by Atomic Kitten. "Wear You To The Ball" was another of his hits with The Paragons, later covered by U-Roy.

Holt went solo in 1970. His best-known solo work is 1000 Volts of Holt, an album of cover versions released in 1974. This spawned the UK Top 10 hit "Help Me Make It Through The Night" (written by Kris Kristofferson) and also included covers of Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" and Diana Ross's "Touch Me In The Morning", amongst others.

Holt's style, notably slower and more romantic than most of his contemporaries, is a recognisable forerunner of a style of reggae known as Lovers Rock which developed in the UK during the 1970s.

"Don't Want To See You Cry" was one of Holt's many Jamaican hits. The lyrics about "moving to a far away land" and leaving loved ones behind must have rung true for many Jamaicans in the 1960s.

"Stick By Me" (Bunny Lee - 1972) was another big Jamaican hit, while "Up Park Camp" (Channel One - 1976) was sung in the then popular "rockers" style. By this time the consciousness lyrics of Rastafarian-influenced reggae were gaining a foothold. As fashions changed, Holt's popularity declined - although the former ska star later made a comeback as a dreadlocked rootsman on the album Police In Helicopter from 1982, the title song from which became a hit.