Johnny Nash bids goodbye

American reggae and pop singer-songwriter Johnny Nash, best known for the 1972 hit ‘I Can See Clearly Now’, has died aged 80, his family has said.

Nash, whose health had been in decline, died at his home of natural causes on Tuesday 6th October, his son, told US media.

The musician began singing as a child and made his major label debut with the 1957 song ‘A Teenager Sings the Blues’.

Nash, born in Houston, was one of the first non-Jamaican singers to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.

His single ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ sold more than a million copies and reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972, where it remained for four weeks.

He also had a number one hit in the UK in 1975 with ‘ Tears on My Pillow’. According to his official website, Nash helped reggae legend Bob Marley sign a recording contract.

Nash’s covers of songs like ‘Stir It Up’ helped bring Marley’s music to a broader audience, and the pair later collaborated on a track called ‘You Poured Sugar On Me’.

Nash, also an actor and producer, was among the first artistes to bring reggae to US audiences. He peaked commercially in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when he had hits with ‘Hold Me Tight’, ‘You Got Soul’, an early version of Marley’s Stir It Up, and I Can See Clearly Now, still his signature song.

Reportedly written by Nash while recovering from cataract surgery, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ was a story of overcoming hard times, with a swelling pop-reggae groove, the promise of a “bright, bright sunshiny day” and Nash’s gospelstyled exclamation midway: ‘ Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies’.

The song returned to the Billboard charts when it was recorded by Jamaican reggae star Jimmy Cliff for the 1993 ‘ Cool Runnings’ movie soundtrack. Cliff ’s version made it to No. 11 on the Billboard charts.

Nash also sang the opening theme song for cartoon series ‘ The Mighty Hercules,” which aired in the 1960’s.

Nash’s version was heard in such popular screen fare as ‘ Thelma & Louise’, ‘ Grosse Pointe Blank’, ‘ Antz’, ‘ C r o o k l yn’ , ‘ T he Wonder Years’ and ‘The Boondocks’.

Nash was born 19 August 1940 in Houston, Texas, to parents

Eliza and

John Lester Nash.

He grew up singing in his church and beginning in 1953, at just 13 years old, Nash sang covers of R& B songs on Matinee, a show on local television.

From 1956, Nash sang on Arthur Godfrey’s radio and TV shows for seven years.

In 1957, Nash made his major label debut with ABC Paramount with his single A Teenager Sings the Blues, and a year later had his first chart hit with his cover of Doris Day’s A Very Special Love.

In 1965, Nash was co-running his own record label, JAD Records, and was introduced to struggling group, The Wailers, which featured members Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh.

Nash signed all three to an exclusive publishing and recording contract with his JAD label, and financed some of their recordings.

Nash was married three times and had two children. He had loved riding horses since childhood and as an adult lived with his family on a ranch in Houston, where for years he also managed rodeo shows at the Johnny Nash Indoor Arena.

In addition to his son, Johnny Nash is survived by his daughter, Monica, and his wife, Carli Nash.