Born on 19 August 1940, in Houston, Texas, John Lester Nash, Jr was one of the first black entertainers to work on Houston TV.
He later won a talent contest after which he dropped plans to attend UCLA to appear regularly on the Arthur Godfrey radio and TV shows.
Nash used his high, clear voice for two different styles of songs: in the 50s he was a teen ballad star, but in the 70s he had hits with reggae-tinged material and was the first American artist to record Bob Marley‘s songs.
In 1967 he hit the US charts with A Special Kind Of Love and had his first UK hit in 1968 with Hold Me Tight which he followed with Cupid, You Got Soul, Stir It Up, I Can See Clearly Now and There Are More Questions Than Answers, making him probably the most successful reggae-influenced artist.
