KEN BOOTHE REMEMBERS HIS FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE JOHN HOTL!

By Cecelia Campbell-Livingston—

 Top: Ken Boothe

Bottom: John Holt

In tribute to singer John Holt who died on October 20 in London, England, the Jamaica Observer presents ‘Holt a Day’, a daily feature leading up to his funeral which is yet to be announced.

ALTON Ellis, John Holt, Delroy Wilson and Ken Boothe are generally regarded as the greatest rock steady singers. With Holt’s death, Boothe is the last man standing in that quartet.

Yesterday, Boothe remembered Holt for more than just his hit songs.

“He was very humorus. He was fun to be around. He reminds me so much of Gregory Isaacs,” he said.

Boothe recalled when he and Holt had hit songs in Britain in the mid-1970s.

Holt had a big hit album in a 1000 Volts of Holt in 1974, while Boothe entered the British pop charts with his cover of Bread’s Everything I Own in 1974.

“The world was focusing on us,” he said.

Boothe and Holt had a number of hits during the rock steady era of the 1960s for producers, including arch rivals Duke Reid and Clement Dodd.