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 slated for the Holy Trinity Church in downtown Kingston, on Monday.

THIS year, the GT Taylor Christmas Reggae Extra-vaganza celebrates its 15th anniversary, but for founder/promoter, GT Taylor, it won’t be the same without John Holt who performed on the show three times.

“What amazed me is how he reached out to the youths in the audience. When he did songs like Police in Helicopter, they always said, ‘a him do dem song dey?’,” Taylor told the Jamaica Observer.

According to Taylor, he approached Holt early this year to make a fourth appearance on the show which takes place Christmas Day at Independence Park in Black River, St Elizabeth. He will be there in spirit, however.

“We are planning a John Holt tribute. It will be something special,” said Taylor.

Since the rocksteady resurgence in the 1990s, Holt won a new generation of fans who warmed to his easy-listening, lovers’ rock songs like A Love I Can Feel and Stick by Me. Taylor’s annual event was one of the shows that gave him an opportunity to perform before a dancehall crowd.

He last performed on the Christmas Extravaganza in 2012.

— Howard Campbell