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April 25, 2008 – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Freddie McGregor and John Holt Sell-Out Performance
Backed by the New
York Symphony Reggae Strings and We the People Band
By M. Peggy Quattro
Photos Dreamy Riley
 Freddie McGregor & John Holt at Reggae Symphony
When Freddie McGregor and John Holt, two of Jamaica’s most
beloved and respected singers, come together, backed by the powerful
11-piece Lloyd Parkes and We the People
Band AND the 19-piece New York Symphony Reggae Strings, you know it is an event
you just ‘cyaan’ miss. The South Florida
Jamaican community turned out to support and honor the two legends as they went
through a catalogue of hit songs, and had the crowd on their feet dancing and
singing the whole evening long. “You
don’t have to stay in your seats,” Freddie told the throng, and we certainly did
not!
The evening began with the talented and comedic MC Winston
Barnes reminding people of the history of adding strings to Reggae. He gave tribute to veteran Harry Moodie,
producer of John Holt’s “The Tide is High,” for his contribution, as well as
Bunny “Striker” Lee going back as far as 1969.
Barnes introduced the playing of America’s
national anthem, followed by a beautiful solo performance of Jamaica’s
national anthem by saxophonist Dean Fraser.
Lloyd Parkes and We the People offered a selection of their hits, including
Dean Fraser’s memorable interpretation of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” before introducing the Reggae Strings, under
the direction of Jamaica’s
Jon Williams.
 Freddie is the consumate showman
In a tribute to his good friend Dennis Brown, Freddie
performed “Love Has Found its Way” to the delight of the packed house. To conclude his half of the Reggae Symphony,
Freddie offered “Just Don’t Want to be Lonely.”
Taking his well-deserved bows, Mr. McGregor then introduced his friend and
mentor, the renowned Mr. John Holt.
 John Holt had the crowd on their feet
Coming to the edge of the stage, John called out to fans to “give
me a song you want to hear” and he promised, “I will sing it to you right here.” From floor to balcony, fans shouted out their
John Holt favorites. He performed acapella
versions of “Mr. Bo Jangles,” “If I Were a Carpenter,” and “Stick By Me” before
joining We the People and the Reggae Strings to deliver more volts of
Holt.
Freddie McGregor came out to join in on the fun, pleased
with the flow of this history-making concert.
Also in tribute to Dennis Brown, John performed “Wildfire” with Freddie,
and the song that brought John Holt international acclaim, “The Tide is High,”
made famous worldwide by pop group Blondie.
After three hours of non-stop singing, and music by one of Jamaica’s
top Reggae bands and the sensational NY Symphony Strings, the show ended. The two master vocalists bowed graciously, beamed
with appreciation as they humbly received the love from the packed house, and
turned to honor the world-class collection of musicians behind them.
With the reaction to Freddie’s prior Reggae Symphony shows,
and bolstered by the positive reaction to the Ft. Such an endorsement, and
such a production, shows how far Reggae has come and draws attention to the
fact that it is a music form to be taken seriously.
Lauderdale presentation, Freddie told me that requests are coming in from symphonies
around the world who want to participate in this classical, rootical
production.
 Freddie with his daughter, Sheema on the right
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