- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJohn Kenneth Holt
- John Holt was born on July 11, 1947 in Kingston, Jamaica. He was a composer, known for Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Monster (2003) and Striptease (1996). He was married to Merl. He died on October 19, 2014 in London, England, UK.
- SpouseMerl(? - October 19, 2014) (his death, 10 children)
- In 2004 he was awarded the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by the Jamaican government for his contribution to Jamaican music.
- Against the odds, however, Holt's inspired, soulful interpretations of more than a dozen well-chosen classics proved to be an instant success, not only in Jamaica and the UK but further afield. One song, Kris Kristofferson's Help Me Make It Through the Night, even outdid the Gladys Knight and the Pips version by making it to No 6 in the UK charts and, by elevating many of the originals to new heights, Holt managed to draw in not only a wider public but reggae aficionados too. Given the horribly chequered history of cover albums in any genre, it has the right to be acknowledged as one of the most critically successful ventures of its kind; 1000 Volts stood the test of time, and is as popular now as it ever was.
- Having been taken ill at the One Love Festival on 16 August, Holt died on 19 October 2014 in the Wellington Hospital in London. He had been diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2014.
- In February 2022, the 1973 compilation of Holt's recordings, 1000 Volts of Holt, received gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales in the UK.
- His mother Amy was a nurse.
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