The star who saw clearly
Music legend Johnny Nash dies aged 80
JOHNNY Nash’s greatest hit was I Can See Clearly Now – and he did have a keen eye for talent, signing Bob Marley and teaching him to sing.
Nash, who has died aged 80, fell in love with reggae when he moved to Jamaica from his native US in the mid-1960s.
There he formed JAD Records with Danny Sims, signing Marley and other members of The Wailers before they rose to international fame.
Sims once said of Nash: “Johnny loved reggae, and he loved Bob and the guys.
“He taught Bob how to sing on the mic, and they taught Johnny how to play the reggae rhythm.”
Born in 1940 in Houston, Texas, he began his lifelong love of music in the Baptist church.
While still a teenager he worked as a singer and actor, and recorded a selftitled album in 1958 with ABC-Paramount.
He found greater success in the late 60s and early 70s with hits including Hold Me Right, You Got Soul, and an early version of Marley’s 1978 hit Stir It Up.
He also sang the opening theme song for cartoon series The Mighty Hercules, which aired in the 1960s.
His biggest international hit, I Can See Clearly Now, reached No5 in the UK charts in 1972 while landing the top spot in several other countries.
His greatest UK success was with the single Tears On My Pillow, reached No1 in July 1975.
However, he failed to follow this chart success after the 1970s.
In 1998 he said it was “difficult to develop major music projects” without touring and promoting, and that he preferred to be with his family.
He said: “I think I have achieved gratification in terms of the people I have had the chance to meet. I never won the Grammy, but I don’t put my faith in things of that nature. A lifetime body of work I can be proud of is more important to me.
“And the special folksy blend to the music I make, that is what it is all about.”
Nash was married three times and had two children, living with his family on a ranch in Houston, where for years he also managed rodeo shows at the Johnny Nash Indoor Arena.
The musician died of natural causes at home which on Tuesday.
Announcing his death yesterday, son Johnny Nash III said: “He was a wonderful father and family man. He loved people and the world.
“He will be missed within his community. Family was his everything,” .
In addition to Johnny Nash III, the singer is survived by daughter Monica and wife Carli Nash.