John Holt
A voice so clean it could carry rocksteady harmony, orchestral crossover and hard dancehall warning. John Holt led The Paragons, wrote “The Tide Is High” and later stared down helicopters over the fields.
John Holt rose through Kingston talent contests and joined The Paragons in the mid-1960s. With the group he helped define rocksteady balladry through “On the Beach,” “Wear You to the Ball” and his composition “The Tide Is High.” His solo career then moved across Studio One, Bunny Lee productions, orchestral reggae and later dancehall-era records. “Stick by Me” became a major Jamaican seller in 1972, while “Police in Helicopter” in the early 1980s showed that the smooth singer could still write directly about state pressure and ganja cultivation. Holt’s clarity influenced Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor and generations of Jamaican vocalists.