Johnny Nash – The Voice Of Love

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The Voice Of Love (Song)

Released in 1959, Johnny Nash’s “The Voice of Love” is a soulful ballad offering guidance on navigating the sometimes confusing world of romantic emotions. The song explores the tension between outward appearances and genuine feelings, urging the listener to be cautious but not cynical in their search for love.

The melancholic melody is punctuated by a steady doo-wop beat, creating a soundscape that reflects the song’s contemplative message. The lyrics paint a picture of potential deception. Someone might look at you and make promises, but those looks and words can be deceiving. “Sweet is her tender sigh,” Nash sings, “But sighs very often lie.”

The chorus serves as the song’s core message: “The voice of love will call to you.” This “voice” isn’t simply spoken words but a deeper sincerity that transcends outward gestures. The song encourages the listener to be patient and discerning. Don’t surrender your heart entirely until you hear this genuine expression of love.

“The Voice of Love” became a signature song for Nash, a Jamaican-born singer who rose to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s. While his later career would be defined by reggae hits like “I Can See Clearly Now,” “The Voice of Love” showcased his smooth vocals and ability to deliver a heartfelt message.

The song’s message of cautious optimism about love remains relevant today. In an age of online dating and social media curated personas, “The Voice of Love” serves as a reminder to look beyond surface appearances and trust your intuition when seeking a genuine connection.

The Voice Of Love Covers

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THE VOICE OF LOVE – Victor Wood (with Lyrics)
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THE VOICE OF LOVE | REY VIERNES GUITAR COVER
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The Voice of Love
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Romantic Piano Collection ǀ The Voice Of Love
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The Voice Of Love

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johnny Nash

Johnny Nash

Nash in 1965
By Joda Records – Billboard, page 39, 28 August 1965, Public Domain, Link

Nash in 1965
Background information
Birth nameJohn Lester Nash Jr.
BornAugust 19, 1940
Houston, Texas, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 2020 (aged 80)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
GenresTraditional popreggae
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, actor
Years active1956–2020
LabelsEpicJAD, Cayman Music
Websitejohnnynash.com

John Lester Nash Jr. (August 19, 1940 – October 6, 2020) was an American singer, best known in the United States for his 1972 hit “I Can See Clearly Now“. Primarily a reggae and pop singer, he was one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston.

Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now (Official Audio)

Early life

Nash was born on August 19, 1940, in Houston, Texas, the son of Eliza (Armstrong) and John Lester Nash. He sang in the choir at Progressive New Hope Baptist Church in South Central Houston as a child. Beginning in 1953, Nash sang covers of R&B hits on Matinee, a local variety show on KPRC-TV; from 1956 he sang on Arthur Godfrey‘s radio and television programs for a seven-year period. Nash was married three times, and had two children.

Career

1950s

Signing with ABC-Paramount, Nash made his major label debut in 1957 with the single “A Teenager Sings the Blues”. He had his first chart hit in early 1958 with a cover of Doris Day‘s “A Very Special Love”.

A Very Special Love

Marketed as a rival to Johnny Mathis, Nash also enjoyed success as an actor early in his career, appearing in the screen version of playwright Louis S. Peterson‘s Take a Giant Step in 1959. Nash won a Silver Sail Award for his performance from the Locarno International Film Festival. Nash continued releasing singles on a variety of labels such as Groove, ChessArgo, and Warner Bros. The song “The Teen Commandments” by Paul AnkaGeorge Hamilton IV, and Johnny Nash reached #14 on Canada’s CHUM Charts, December 15, 1958.

1958 HITS ARCHIVE: The Teen Commandments – Paul Anka, George Hamilton IV, and Johnny Nash

1960s

Nash sang the theme song to the syndicated animated cartoon series The Mighty Hercules, which ran on various television stations from 1963 to 1966.

In 1964, Nash and manager Danny Sims formed JoDa Records in New York. JoDa released The Cowsills‘ single “All I Really Want to Be Is Me”. Although JoDa filed for bankruptcy after only two years, Nash and Sims moved on to marketing American singers to Jamaica, owing to the low cost of recording in that country.

In 1965, Nash had a top five hit in the US Billboard R&B chart, the ballad “Let’s Move and Groove Together”.

Let's Move and Groove Together

It was just outside the Top 40 in Canada at #44. That year, he and Sims moved to Jamaica. Their lawyer Newton Willoughby was the father of Jamaican radio host Neville Willoughby. After selling off his old entertainment assets in New York, Sims opened a new music publishing business in Jamaica, Cayman Music. Nash planned to try breaking the local rocksteady sound in the United States. Around 1966 or 1967, Neville Willoughby took Nash to a Rastafarian party where Bob Marley & The Wailing Wailers were performing Members Bob MarleyBunny WailerPeter Tosh, and Rita Marley introduced Nash to the local music scene. Nash signed all four to an exclusive publishing contract with Cayman Music for J$50 a week.

In 1967, Nash, Arthur Jenkins, and Sims collaborated to create a new label, JAD Records (after their first names Johnny, Arthur, and Danny), and recorded their albums at Federal Records in Kingston. JAD released Nash’s rocksteady single “Hold Me Tight” in 1968; it became a top-five hit in both the U.S. and UK, and number 1 in Canada. The record sold well in Argentina. According to the January 25 issue of Cash Box, both Nash’s version and a version by Anthony Swete were selling strongly. It was charting alongside a version by Anthony Swete in the Argentina’s Best Sellers chart.

Johnny Nash – Hold Me Tight (HD)

1970s

In 1971, Nash scored another UK hit with his cover of Marley’s “Stir It Up“.

Johnny Nash Stir It Up

Nash’s 1972 reggae-influenced single “I Can See Clearly Now” sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in November 1972. “I Can See Clearly Now” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 4, 1972, and remained atop the chart for four weeks, spending the same four weeks atop the adult contemporary chart. The I Can See Clearly Now album includes four original Marley compositions published by JAD: “Guava Jelly”, “Comma Comma”, “You Poured Sugar on Me”, and the follow-up hit “Stir It Up”. “There Are More Questions Than Answers” was a third hit single taken from the album.

Nash was also a composer for the Swedish romance film Want So Much to Believe (1971), in which he portrayed ‘Robert’. The movie soundtrack, partly instrumental reggae with strings, was co-composed by Bob Marley and arranged by Fred Jordan.

JAD Records ceased to exist in 1971, but it was revived in 1997 by American Marley specialist Roger Steffens and French musician and producer Bruno Blum for the Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers 1967–1972 ten-album series, for which several of the Nash-produced Marley and Tosh tracks were mixed or remixed by Blum for release. In the UK, his biggest hit was with the song “Tears on My Pillow” which reached number one in the UK Singles Chart in July 1975 for one week.

Johnny Nash – Tears On My Pillow • TopPop

After a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” in 1976 and “Let’s Go Dancing” in 1979, for many years Nash seemed to have dropped out of sight.

1980s–1990s

Nash had a brief resurgence in the mid-1980s with the album Here Again (1986), which was preceded by the minor UK hit, “Rock Me Baby”.

Johnny Nash – Rock Me Baby • TopPop

Younger audiences were introduced to Nash’s music with the appearance of Jimmy Cliff‘s cover of “I Can See Clearly Now” in Disney’s 1993 hit film Cool Runnings, and Nash’s original version appeared over the opening scene of John Cusack’s 1997 film, Grosse Point Blank.

2000s

In May 2006, Nash was singing again at SugarHill Recording Studios and at Tierra Studios in his native Houston. Working with SugarHill chief engineer Andy Bradley and Tierra Studios’ Randy Miller, he began the work of transferring analog tapes of his songs from the 1970s and 1980s to Pro Tools digital format.

Acting

Nash has four acting credits in film and television. In 1959, he had the lead role as Spencer Scott in Take a Giant Step, directed by Philip Leacock, one of the first black family films written by a black writer. In 1960, he appeared as “Apple” alongside Dennis Hopper in the crime drama Key Witness. In 1971, he played Robert in the Swedish romance Vill så gärna tro.

Death

Nash died of natural causes in his home, surrounded by close family in Houston on October 6, 2020, after a period of declining health. He was 80.

Selected discography

Albums

Source: AllMusic

YearTitlePeak chart positionsRecord
label
USUS
R&B
AUSUK
1958Johnny NashABC
Paramount
1959I Got Rhythm
Quiet Hour
1960Let’s Get Lost
1961Studio Time
1964Composer’s ChoiceArgo
1968Hold Me Tight10923JAD
1969Prince of Peace
Soul Folk
Love and Peace
1972Teardrops in the RainCadet
I Can See Clearly Now23102939Epic
1973My Merry-Go-Round16949
1974Celebrate Life
1975Tears on My PillowCBS
1977What a Wonderful WorldEpic
1978Love Me TenderBellaphon
1979Let’s Go DancingEpic
1986Here AgainLondon
“–” denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilations

Source: AllMusic

YearAlbumUK
CertificationsRecord label
1974Johnny Nash’s Greatest HitsBPI: SilverCBS
1977Johnny Nash Collection18BPI: GoldEpic
1981Stir It UpHallmark
1993The Reggae CollectionEpic
“–” denotes releases that did not chart.

Soundtrack

Nash sang the theme song for the television cartoon series The Mighty Hercules, which aired in first-run syndication from 1963 to 1966.

The Mighty Hercules Opening Theme | THE MIGHTY HERCULES

Singles

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