Song:The Tide Is High
Album:The Prime Of John Holt: Massive Recordings from 1970-1976
Most music fans here in North America are probably familiar with the 1980 version of The Tide Is High by Blondie. But you may not know that the song was written and originally recorded by the wonderful Jamaican singer John Holt when he was a member of The Paragons in the 60s. And he recorded it when he went solo in the 70s. He was born July 11, 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica and by age 12 he was already a regular in local talent contests. He recorded his first single I Cried A Tear in 1963 for producer Leslie Kong and also recorded duets with Alton Ellis. He became lead singer of The Paragons in 1964. The Tide Is High was probably their biggest hit in 1967. It was also covered by U-Roy in 1971. Holt recorded some solo songs for Studio One and Prince Buster while he was still a member of The Paragons and he left for good to go solo in 1970. Holt had many hits including Stick By Me in 1972 and his cover of Kris Kristofferson's Help Me Make It Through The Night in 1974. He did record The Tide Is High in the 70s but it didn't get any attention until Blondie had an international hit with it in 1980. Atomic Kitten and Kardinal Offishal are among others who have successfully covered The Tide Is High. John Holt continued to record in the 80s with Dennis Brown and last recorded in 1997. But he continues to perform at music festivals today. This comp of his 70s recordings from the British budget label The Music Club is a great intro to the music of this outstanding and underrated Jamaican singer. Here's John Holt performing The Tide Is High. This video is not on Youtube.
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