Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940 – October 6, 2020) was an American reggae and soul singer. His best known singles were "I Can See Clearly Now", "Hold Me Tight" and "Tears on My Pillow".
Johnny Nash | |
|---|---|
 Johnny Nash in 1965 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Lester Nash, Jr. |
| Born | August 19, 1940 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 6, 2020 (aged 80) Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | pop, reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, composer, actor |
| Years active | 1956–2020 |
| Labels | Epic, JAD |
Career
His biggest hit was "I Can See Clearly Now" in 1972.
In his late teens Johnny Nash came to the attention of Arthur Godfrey and put in many appearances on his TV show. He also had a featured role in the motion picture "Take A Giant Step". Johnny began recording for the ABC Paramount label, and under the guidance of arranger producer Don Costa, he made a number of albums of standards. Including "Johnny Nash", "Let's Get Lost", "The Quiet Hour", "Studio Time" and "I Got Rhythm". Even though he possessed a superb singing voice, it seems that in the early 1960s, all young black male ballad singers were overshadowed by another Johnny. Johnny Mathis. Johnny Nash never really came into the forefront of pop music. He made a couple of obscure jazz tinged albums for the Argo label. Then after being off the scene for a couple of years, he emerged with a new music genre, the reggae, soul and caribbean type song stylings. This was the mid 70's and he found new fans and a new popularity.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times listed Johnny Nash among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.[1]
Personal life
Nash was born in Houston, Texas. He died on October 6, 2020 in Houston at the age of 80.[2]
References
- Rosen, Jody (June 25, 2019). "Here Are Hundreds More Artists Whose Tapes Were Destroyed in the UMG Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- "I Can See Clearly Now" singer-songwriter Johnny Nash dies at 80