Born in the Greenwich Farm area of Kingston, Jamaica, on July 11, 1947, the young Holt took his first steps into the music business via the talent show circuit. Talent shows were massively popular in Jamaica and a way to find the new up and coming talent from the island. The most popular artists were initially broadcast live on radio and later on television.

Holt was 12 years old when he entered his first contest. Over the next four years, he became a staple of the talent show circuit, eventually notching up a record-breaking 28 titles. The talented teen was quickly snapped up by producer Leslie Kong, who recorded Holt's debut single, "Forever I'll Stay"/"I Cried a Tear." He then started working with producer Clive Chin, debuting the partnership with "Rum Bumper," a duet with Alton Ellis.

In 1964, Holt joined the vocal group the Paragons, replacing founding member Leroy Stamp. By 1968, the Paragons were Jamaica's premier vocal group with virtually every one of their releases a hit. However, 1970 brought an abrupt end to the group when Evans and Barrett both went to the US after being awarded scholarships. This change inspired Holt to begin his solo career in earnest; recording his own songs and cutting songs for a variety of different producers. 

Arguably the best work the singer recorded in the early '70s was for Bunny Lee, including the classic "Tonight." Their biggest success was a cover of "Stick By Me," deliberately arranged to take advantage of the latest dance craze, the John Crow. The song stayed in the Jamaican charts for an amazing 23 weeks and became the biggest-selling single of the year.

The end result was the covers collection 1000 Volts of Holt, which gave Holt his first UK hit with "Help Me Make It Through the Night." Two follow-ups were recorded - 2000 Volts and 3000 Volts - with both later combined onto a single disc. 

For the rest of the decade, Holt continued making the studio rounds, working with the likes of Jojo Hookim and most notably reuniting with Bunny Lee. 1976's Winter World of Love captures only some of the magic of this latter partnership, which produced a clutch of fine singles. 

The next year, the singer joined forces with singer/producer Dennis Brown for the WildFire album. It was during this period that both Holt and Brown became involved in a plot by veteran singers to fight the DJ phenomenon by saturating the market with vocal material. 

In 1993, the singer decided to expand his musical horizons on Reggae Hip House R&B Flavour.

1997's album All Night Long updated old hits and gave fans a few new numbers, with featured guest stars including Johnny Clarke, Screwdriver, and Latisha Vining.

Holt also made numerous acclaimed appearances at Reggae Sunsplash, and the singer continued to compose, record, and perform into the 2010s. 

John Holt passed away in 2014. He was 64.