Johnny Nash

This article is about the singer-songwriter. For other uses, see Johnny Nash (disambiguation).

Johnny Nash
Nash in 1965
Nash in 1965
Background information
Birth nameJohn Lester Nash Jr.
Born(1940-08-19)August 19, 1940
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 2020(2020-10-06) (aged 80)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
GenresTraditional pop, reggae
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, actor
Years active1956–2020
LabelsEpic, JAD, Cayman Music
Websitejohnnynash.com

John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940 – October 6, 2020)[1] was an American singer and songwriter, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit "I Can See Clearly Now".[2] Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston.[3]

Early life

Nash was born on August 19, 1940, in Houston, Texas, the son of Eliza (Armstrong) and John Lester Nash.[4] He sang in the choir at Progressive New Hope Baptist Church in South Central Houston as a child.[5][6] Beginning in 1953, Nash sang covers of R&B hits on Matinee, a local variety show on KPRC-TV;[5][6] from 1956 he sang on Arthur Godfrey's radio and television programs for a seven-year period.[5] Nash was married three times, and had two children.[7]

Career

1950s

Signing with ABC-Paramount, Nash made his major label debut in 1957 with the single "A Teenager Sings the Blues". He had his first chart hit in early 1958 with a cover of Doris Day's "A Very Special Love".[5] Marketed as a rival to Johnny Mathis, Nash also enjoyed success as an actor early in his career, appearing in the screen version of playwright Louis S. Peterson's Take a Giant Step in 1959.[2][5] Nash won a Silver Sail Award for his performance from the Locarno International Film Festival. Nash continued releasing singles on a variety of labels such as Groove, Chess, Argo, and Warner Bros.[5] The song "The Teen Commandments" by Paul Anka, George Hamilton IV, and Johnny Nash reached #14 on Canada's CHUM Charts, December 15, 1958.[8]

1960s

Nash sang the theme song to the syndicated animated cartoon series The Mighty Hercules, which ran on various television stations from 1963 to 1966.[9]

In 1964, Nash and manager Danny Sims formed JoDa Records in New York.[10] JoDa released The Cowsills' single "All I Really Want to Be Is Me".[11] Although JoDa filed for bankruptcy after only two years, Nash and Sims moved on to marketing American singers to Jamaica, owing to the low cost of recording in that country.[10]

In 1965, Nash had a top five hit in the US Billboard R&B chart, the ballad "Let's Move and Groove Together".[5] It was just outside the Top 40 in Canada at #44.[12] That year, he and Sims moved to Jamaica.[13] Their lawyer Newton Willoughby was the father of Jamaican radio host Neville Willoughby.[14] After selling off his old entertainment assets in New York, Sims opened a new music publishing business in Jamaica, Cayman Music.[10] Nash planned to try breaking the local rocksteady sound in the United States.[2] Around 1966 or 1967, Neville Willoughby took Nash to a Rastafarian party where Bob Marley & The Wailing Wailers were performing.[13][10] Members Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, and Rita Marley introduced Nash to the local music scene.[15] Nash signed all four to an exclusive publishing contract with Cayman Music for J$50 a week.[10]

In 1967, Nash, Arthur Jenkins, and Sims collaborated to create a new label, JAD Records (after their first names Johnny, Arthur, and Danny), and recorded their albums at Federal Records in Kingston.[10][16] JAD released Nash's rocksteady single "Hold Me Tight" in 1968; it became a top-five hit in both the U.S. and UK,[5] and number 1 in Canada.[17] The record sold well in Argentina. According to the January 25 issue of Cash Box, both Nash's version and a version by Anthony Swete were selling strongly.[18] It was charting alongside a version by Anthony Swete in the Argentina's Best Sellers chart.[19]

1970s

In 1971, Nash scored another UK hit with his cover of Marley's "Stir It Up".[5]

Nash's 1972 reggae-influenced single "I Can See Clearly Now" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in November 1972.[20] "I Can See Clearly Now" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 4, 1972, and remained atop the chart for four weeks, spending the same four weeks atop the adult contemporary chart. The I Can See Clearly Now album includes four original Marley compositions published by JAD: "Guava Jelly", "Comma Comma", "You Poured Sugar on Me", and the follow-up hit "Stir It Up". "There Are More Questions Than Answers" was a third hit single taken from the album.[21]

Nash was also a composer for the Swedish romance film Want So Much to Believe (1971),[22] in which he portrayed 'Robert'.[23] The movie soundtrack, partly instrumental reggae with strings, was co-composed by Bob Marley and arranged by Fred Jordan.[22]

JAD Records ceased to exist in 1971,[2] but it was revived in 1997 by American Marley specialist Roger Steffens and French musician and producer Bruno Blum for the Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967–1972 ten-album series, for which several of the Nash-produced Marley and Tosh tracks were mixed or remixed by Blum for release. In the UK, his biggest hit was with the song "Tears on My Pillow" which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in July 1975 for one week.[24]

After a cover of Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" in 1976 and "Let's Go Dancing" in 1979, for many years Nash seemed to have dropped out of sight.

1980s–1990s

Nash had a brief resurgence in the mid-1980s with the album Here Again (1986), which was preceded by the minor UK hit, "Rock Me Baby". Younger audiences were introduced to Nash's music with the appearance of Jimmy Cliff's cover of "I Can See Clearly Now" in Disney's 1993 hit film Cool Runnings, and Nash's original version appeared over the opening scene of John Cusack's 1997 film, Grosse Point Blank.[25]

2000s

In May 2006, Nash was singing again at SugarHill Recording Studios and at Tierra Studios in his native Houston. Working with SugarHill chief engineer Andy Bradley and Tierra Studios' Randy Miller, he began the work of transferring analog tapes of his songs from the 1970s and 1980s to Pro Tools digital format.[26][27]

Acting

Nash has four acting credits in film and television. In 1959, he had the lead role as Spencer Scott in Take a Giant Step, directed by Philip Leacock, one of the first black family films written by a black writer.[28] In 1960, he appeared as "Apple" alongside Dennis Hopper in the crime drama Key Witness.[2] In 1971, he played Robert in the Swedish romance Vill så gärna tro.[23]

Death

Nash died of natural causes in his home, surrounded by close family in Houston on October 6, 2020, after a period of declining health.[7] He was 80.[29][30]

Selected discography

Albums

Source: AllMusic[31]

Year Title Peak chart positions Record label
US
[32] 		US R&B
[32] 		AUS
[33] 		UK
[24]
1958 Johnny Nash – – – – ABC Paramount
1959 I Got Rhythm – – – –
Quiet Hour – – – –
1960 Let's Get Lost – – – –
1961 Studio Time – – – –
1964 Composer's Choice – – – – Argo
1968 Hold Me Tight 109 23 – – JAD
1969 Prince of Peace – – – –
Soul Folk – – – –
Love and Peace – – – –
1972 Teardrops in the Rain – – – – Cadet
I Can See Clearly Now 23 10 29 39 Epic
1973 My Merry-Go-Round 169 49 – –
1974 Celebrate Life – – – –
1975 Tears on My Pillow – – – – CBS
1977 What a Wonderful World – – – – Epic
1978 Love Me Tender – – – – Bellaphon
1979 Let's Go Dancing – – – – Epic
1986 Here Again – – – – London
"–" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilations

Source: AllMusic[34]

Year Album UK
[24] 		Certifications Record label
1974 Johnny Nash's Greatest Hits – CBS
1977 Johnny Nash Collection 18 Epic
1981 Stir It Up – Hallmark
1993 The Reggae Collection – Epic
"–" denotes releases that did not chart.

Soundtrack

Nash sang the theme song for the television cartoon series The Mighty Hercules, which aired in first-run syndication from 1963 to 1966.[37][38]

Singles

Source: AllMusic[39]

Year Single (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated 		Chart positions Certifications Album
US
[40] 		US
Cashbox
[41][42] 		US
R&B
[43] 		US
A/C
[44] 		UK
[45] 		CAN
[46] 		AUS
[33]
1956 "A Teenager Sings the Blues"
b/w "Out of Town" 		– – – – – – – Non-album tracks
1957 "I'll Walk Alone"
b/w "The Ladder of Love" 		– – – – – – –
"A Very Special Love"
b/w "Won't You Let Me Share My Love with You" 		23 30 – – – – –
1958 "My Pledge to You"
b/w "It's So Easy to Say" 		– – – – – 24
[47] 		–
"Please Don't Go"
b/w "I Lost My Love Last Night" 		– – – – – – –
"You're Looking at Me"
b/w "Truly Love" 		– 98 – – – – –
"Almost in Your Arms"
b/w "Midnight Moonlight" (from Johnny Nash) 		78 49 – – – 23
[48] 		–
"The Teen Commandments"
Paul Anka, George Hamilton IV, Johnny Nash
B-side by Don Costa: "If You Learn to Pray" 		29 46 – – – 14
[49] 		41
1959 "Walk with Faith in Your Heart"
b/w "Roots of Heaven" 		– 48 – – – – –
"As Time Goes By"
b/w "The Voice of Love" 		43 48 – – – 25
[50] 		–
"And the Angels Sing"
b/w "Baby, Baby, Baby" 		– – – – – – – I Got Rhythm
"Take a Giant Step"
b/w "But Not for Me" 		– 119 – – – – – Non-album tracks
"The Wish"
b/w "Too Proud" 		– – – – – – –
1960 "Goodbye"
b/w "A Place in the Sun" 		– – – – – – –
"Never My Love"
b/w "(You've Got) The Love I Love" (from I Got Rhythm) 		– – – – – – –
"Let the Rest of the World Go By"
b/w "Music of Love" (non-album track) 		– – – – – – – Let's Get Lost
"Looks Like the End of the World"
b/w "We Kissed" 		– – – – – – – Non-album tracks
"Somebody"
b/w "Kisses" 		– – – – – – –
1961 "Some of Your Lovin'"
b/w "World of Tears" 		104 93 – – – – –
"I Need Someone to Stand by Me"
Original B-side: "A House on the Hill"
Later B-side: "A Thousand Miles Away" 		– – – – – – –
"I'm Counting on You"
b/w "I Lost My Baby" 		– – – – – – –
"Too Much Love"
b/w "Love's Young Dream" 		– – – – – – –
1962 "Don't Take Away Your Love"
b/w "Moment of Weakness" 		– 129 – – – – –
"Ol' Man River"
b/w "My Dear Little Sweetheart" 		120 91 – – – – –
1963 "I'm Movin' On"
b/w "Cigarettes, Whiskey and Wild, Wild Women" 		– – – – – – –
"I've Got a Lot to Offer Darling"
b/w "Helpless" 		– – – – – – –
"Deep in the Heart of Harlem"
b/w "What Kind of Love Is This" 		– – – – – – –
"Town of Lonely Hearts"
b/w "It's No Good for Me" 		– – – – – – –
1964 "I'm Leaving"
b/w "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" 		120 103 – – – – –
"Love Ain't Nothin'"
b/w "Talk to Me" 		– 133 – – – – – Teardrops in the Rain
"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"
b/w "Always" (non-album track) 		– – – – – – –
1965 "Strange Feeling"
b/w "Spring Is Here" (from Composer's Choice) 		– – – – – – –
"Teardrops in the Rain"
b/w "I Know What I Want" 		– – – – – – –
"Let's Move & Groove Together"
b/w "Understanding" (from Love Me Tender) 		88 92 4 – – 44
[51] 		– Non-album track
1966 "Get Myself Together"
b/w "Teardrops in the Rain" 		– – – – – – – Teardrops in the Rain
"One More Time"
b/w "Tryin' to Find Her" 		– – – – – – – Love Me Tender
"Somewhere"
b/w "Big City" 		120 118 35 – – – –
"Amen"
b/w "Perfumed Flower" 		– – – – – – – Non-album tracks
1967 "Good Goodness"
b/w "You Never Know" 		– – – – – – –
"(I'm So) Glad You're My Baby"
b/w "Stormy" 		– – – – – – –
1968 "Hold Me Tight"
b/w "Cupid" 		5 7 21 20 5 1 4 Hold Me Tight
"You Got Soul"
b/w "Don't Cry" 		58 55 46 – 6 37 72
1969 "Lovey Dovey"
b/w "You Got Soul" 		130 – – – – – –
"We Try Harder"*
b/w "My Time"* 		135 – – – – – – Johnny Nash & Kim Weston
"Sweet Charity"
b/w "People in Love" (from Hold Me Tight) 		– – – – – – – Non-album track
"Love and Peace"
b/w "People in Love" (from Hold Me Tight) 		132 – – – – – – Love and Peace
"Cupid"
b/w "Hold Me Tight" 		39 36 – 38 6 30 – Hold Me Tight
1970 "(What A) Groovey Feeling"
b/w "You Got Soul" – Part 1 (from Soul Folk) 		102 131 – – – – – Non-album tracks
"Falling in and Out of Love"
b/w "You Got to Change Your Ways" (from Hold Me Tight) 		– – – – – – –
1972 "Stir It Up"
b/w "Cream Puff" 		– 11 – 6 13 7 48 I Can See Clearly Now
"I Can See Clearly Now"
b/w "How Good It Is" 		1 1 38 1 5 1 3
"There Are More Questions Than Answers"
b/w "Guava Jelly" 		– – – – 9 – –
1973 "Stir It Up"
b/w "Ooh Baby You've Been Good to Me" 		12[A] – – – – – –
"My Merry-Go-Round"
b/w "(Oh Jesus) We're Trying to Get Back to You" 		77 74 – 34 – 47 – My Merry-Go-Round
"Ooh What a Feeling"
b/w "Yellow House" 		103 – – 38 – – –
1974 "Loving You"
b/w "Gonna Open Up My Heart Again" 		91 67 40 – – – –
"You Can't Go Halfway"
b/w "The Very First Time" 		105 90 38 – – – – Celebrate Life
"Celebrate Life"
b/w "Beautiful Baby" 		– – – – – – –
1975 "(You Gave Me Such) Good Vibrations"
b/w "The Very First Time" 		– – – – – – –
"Tears on My Pillow"
b/w "Beautiful Baby" (from Celebrate Life) 		– – – – 1 – 69 Tears on My Pillow
(UK release only)
"Let's Be Friends"
b/w "The Edge of Love" 		– – – – 42 – –
1976 "(What A) Wonderful World"
b/w "Rock It Baby (Baby We've Got a Date)" (from Tears on My Pillow) 		103 82 66 34 25 – 96 What a Wonderful World
(UK release only)
1977 "That Woman"
b/w "Back in Time" 		– – – – – – –
1979 "Closer"
b/w "Mr. Sea" 		– – 74 – – – – Let's Go Dancing
1985 "Rock Me Baby"
b/w "Love Theme from Rock Me Baby" 		– – – – 47 – 99 Here Again
1989 "I Can See Clearly Now" (remix)
CD single with three other tracks 		– – – – 54 – – Non-album track
"–" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Notes

  1. ^ Re-released in US after success of "I Can See Clearly Now".

References

  1. ^ Mason, Peter (October 8, 2020). "Johnny Nash obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 889. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  3. ^ Marley, Rita; Jones, Hettie (August 19, 2011). No Woman No Cry. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-330-54174-9.
  4. ^ "FamilySearch: Sign In". FamilySearch.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Ankeny, Jason. "Johnny Nash Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Milkowski, Holly (February 22, 2011). "Black History Month Profile: Johnny Nash Jr". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Johnny Nash, singer of 'I Can See Clearly Now,' dies at 80". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 9, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - December 15, 1958". Chumtribute.com.
  9. ^ "Hercules Saves Helena". IMDb. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Moskowitz, David (2007). The Words and Music of Bob Marley. Westport: Praeger. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-0-275-98935-4. OCLC 76925010.
  11. ^ Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard. p. 35. ISBN 0634099787. LCCN 2006922018. OCLC 68966384.
  12. ^ "RPM Magazine - October 18, 1965 - page 5" (PDF).
  13. ^ a b Dansby, Andrew (June 15, 2012). "Johnny Nash's career 'Clearly' had more depth than one song". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  14. ^ Campbell, Howard (November 15, 2009). "Max Romeo honours Neville Willoughby". Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  15. ^ Jelly-Schapiro, Joshua (June 11, 2012). "Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Island Records". Los Angeles Review of Books. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012.
  16. ^ White, Timothy (2006). Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley (revised and enlarged ed.). New York: Owl Books. p. 227. ISBN 978-0-8050-8086-5.
  17. ^ "RPM Magazine - November 11, 1968 - page 5" (PDF).
  18. ^ Cash Box, January 29, 1969 - Page 76 Cash Box Argentina
  19. ^ Cash Box, January 29, 1969 - Page 76 Cash Box Argentina, Argentina's Best Sellers, This Week 5, Last Week 9 Hold Me Tight (Odeon) Anthony Swete (RCA); Johnny Nash (EMI)
  20. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 317. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  21. ^ "I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Steffens, Roger (July 11, 2017). So Much Things to Say: The Oral History of Bob Marley. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 116. ISBN 9780393634792.
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  24. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 387. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  25. ^ "I Can See Clearly Now singer Johnny Nash dies, aged 80". Rte.ie. October 7, 2020.
  26. ^ "Johnny Nash Mixes at SugarHill". May 4, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007.
  27. ^ "Clearly Houston". Mixonline. January 6, 2006. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  28. ^ Reid, Mark. "Take a Giant Step, A Raisin in the Sun: The U.S. black family film". ejumpcut.org. Jump Cut. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  29. ^ Italie, Hillel (October 7, 2020). "Johnny Nash, singer of 'I Can See Clearly Now,' dies at 80". Associated Press. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  30. ^ Willman, Chris (October 6, 2020). "Johnny Nash, 'I Can See Clearly Now' Singer, Dies at 80". Variety. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  31. ^ "Johnny Nash – Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Johnny Nash - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  33. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 213. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  35. ^ "Johnny Nash's Greatest Hits". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  36. ^ "Johnny Nash Collection". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  37. ^ "Mighty Hercules, The". Nostalgiacentral.com. June 23, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  38. ^ "#162 – The Mighty Hercules Theme Song". Theclassicrocker.wordpress.com. February 23, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  39. ^ "Johnny Nash – Song Highlights". AllMusic. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  40. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955–2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 499. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  41. ^ Hoffmann, Frank W.; Hoffmann, Lee Ann (1983). The Cash Box Singles Charts, 1950–1981. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810815957.
  42. ^ Hoffmann, Frank W.; Albert, George (1994). The Cash Box Charts for the Post-modern Age 1978–1988. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810828506.
  43. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B Singles: 1942–1995. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 320. ISBN 0-89820-115-2.
  44. ^ "Adult Contemporary Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  45. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004. London: Collins. p. 545. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
  46. ^ "Results: RPM Weekly – Johnny Nash". Library and Archives Canada. Government of Canada. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  47. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - April 28, 1958". Chumtribute.com.
  48. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - December 8, 1958". Chumtribute.com.
  49. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - December 15, 1958". Chumtribute.com.
  50. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - April 20, 1959". Chumtribute.com.
  51. ^ "RPM Magazine - October 18, 1965 - Page 5" (PDF).
  52. ^ "British certifications – Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  53. ^ "Johnny Nash - Tears On My Pillow". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved October 16, 2022.