Some more final words

I'm back from my US trip (photos to follow soon) to discover that, as ever, the Grim Reaper has been busy while I was away.
John Holt, who has died aged 69, was one of the leading exponents of rocksteady and early reggae as a member of the Paragons and as a solo singer. With Bob Andy another member of the band, the
Paragons had great success recording for Duke Reid with tracks such as The Tide Is High - later a smash hit for Blondie - Wear You To The Ball and I See Your Face. As a solo artist he achieved even greater success with a number of producers with tracks like Oh Girl, Rain From the Skies, Ali Baba, A Love I Can Feel, O K Fred and Stick By Me, among many others. In the UK he had hits with lovers rock interpretations of covers such as Help Me Make It Through The Night and Touch Me In The Morning but back in Jamaica he was promoting his rasta befiefs with Police In Helicopter. In the UK he performed with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra which resulted in an album. Truly one of Jamaica's greats.
Back in the UK we have seen the death of Bernard Jewry who found success both as Shane Fenton and Alvin Stardust. As Shane Fenton, along with his group the Fentones, he had success with several Parlophone 45s including I'm A Moody Guy, Walk Away, Cindy's Birthday, Too Young For Sad Memories and Don't Do That. He also appeared in the movie Play It Cool. He adopted his new persona of Alvin Starduct in 1973 when it was given to him by Peter Shelley, the founder of Magnet Records, and went on to enjoy even greater success in the 70s with My Coo Ca Choo, Jealous Mind, You, You, You, Red Dress and Good Love Can Never Die.
Finally we raise a glass to bass guitarist Jack Bruce who made his biggest mark as a member of Cream. Prior to that Bruce played with Alexis Korner in Blues Incorporated, Graham Bond, John Mayall and Manfred Mann before joining up with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker to form the supergroup. Later he made a number of successful solo albums as well as playing alongside Frank Zappa among others.