JOHN HOLT - BEFORE THE NEXT TEAR DROP Vinyl LP
John Holt had one of the finest and most versatile voices to come out of Jamaica. His solo career covered pop and soul, not to mention a much-overlooked roots period, and he was the frontman of the great vocal group The Paragons, which he joined around 1965, singing many of their greatest hits including "Tide Is High," "On the Beach," and "Wear You to the Ball." John Holt (b. 1947, Kingston, Jamaica) was a child prodigy; he began his career as a regular voice on talent contests run by Vera Johns across Jamaica. He cut his first single in 1963 for Leslie Kong's Beverley's label and sang many duets with various singers of the day, including "Rum Bumper" with Alton Ellis. 1965 to 1970 were John Holt's Paragon years, a period in which he also ran solo with hits such as "Fancy Make Up," "A Love I Can Feel," and "Let's Build Our Dreams." Holt's 1976 album Before the Next Tear Drop was produced by Bunny "Striker" Lee, part of Holt's extremely productive period working with the legendary producer. It's filled with classic after classic sung effortlessly by Mr. Holt.