Condolences: Johnny Nash
• As if this year wasn’t already tragic enough… Johnny Nash, an American reggae and pop music singer-songwriter, best known for his 1972 hit, “I Can See Clearly Now,” died Tuesday, Oct. 6 at his home in Houston, his son confirmed to CBS Los Angeles. He was 80.
The Houston-born Nash started singing as a child at Progressive New Hope Baptist Church. He made his major label debut in 1957 with the single, “A Teenager Sings the Blues.” His first chart hit was an early 1958 cover of Doris Day’s “A Very Special Love,” followed by “Almost In Your Arms” and “As Time Goes By,” all three on ABC/Paramount Records. In 1968, Nash released “Hold Me Tight” on Jad Records, which peaked at No. 5, but his real claim to fame was the 1972 reggae-influenced single “I Can See Clearly Now” on Epic Records, which sold over one million copies, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Nov. 4, 1972 and remained atop the chart for four weeks. The following year he released “Stir It Up,” which reached No. 12.
After covering Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” in 1976 and “Let’s Go Dancing” in 1979, Nash took a step back from the spotlight before releasing the 1986 album Here Again.
Nash is survived by his wife Carli and son Johnny. [Thanks to RAMP‘s Steve Resnik, the King of the Charts]
