Holt

They created their own hybrid of instrumental music in the '60s and '70s, and it sure paid off! Their biggest hits Soulful Strut and Wack Wack join Dig Her Walk; Give It Up ; funky versions of Good Vibrations and Light My Fire, plus 11 recordings never before available on CD and one never before released in any format! 20 digitally remastered tracks in all.

Sweet-voiced singer/songwriter John Holt has been working professionally in the Jamaican music business since 1958, and his recorded legacy is a long one, with several peaks and valleys, but when he is on his game, and when he is working with a producer who cares about quality as well as commercial viability, he is arguably the greatest of Jamaica's balladeers. This two-disc, 50-track set from Trojan tells at least part of that story, beginning with Holt's wonderful work with the Paragons in the 1960s and continuing on through his subsequent solo career, which found Holt ranging from roots rock to string-drenched MOR fare and then transitioning effortlessly into the dancehall era.

After fronting popular Jamaican vocal trio the Paragons on a succession of best-selling rock steady singles during the late Sixties, John Holt went on to become one of Jamaica’s most popular solo performers, scoring a series of reggae hits for many of the island’s leading record producers. His international breakthrough came in 1974 with the hugely popular ‘1000 Volts of Holt’ album, which fused raw reggae rhythms with sophisticated orchestral arrangements. The highlight of the long-player was a reworking of Kris Kristoffersson’s country hit, ‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’, which the following year became a global hit, with the single, peaking at Number 6 in the UK charts. Over the years that followed, Holt remained a giant of the reggae scene with further best sellers and numerous sell-out shows around the world. The very best of his solo work has been brought together on this ‘Essential Artist’ compilation, the latest release in Trojan Records’ newly launched range that showcases the work of Jamaica’s best-loved ‘foundation’ artists. Available as comprehensive 2CD compilation, the collection superbly illustrates the talent that made John Holt one of the reggae music’s most popular and enduring singers.