I Can See Clearly Now

Johnny Nash wrote and produced “I can see clearly now” for his 1972 album of the same name.  This was actually his 11th album, but arguably his breakthrough song that got him noticed around the world.  Born in Texas, he began recording music in the 1950s and was originally marketed as an easy listening artist to rival Johnny Mathis. In 1965, he and his manager moved to Jamaica.  A year later, Neville Willoughby took Nash to a Rastafarian party, where Bob Marley & The Wailing Wailers were performing. Members Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, and Rita Marley introduced Nash to the local music scene, and Nash signed them to an exclusive publishing contract with Cayman Music for $50 a week.  After a couple of hits in the late 1960s with rocksteady tracks including ‘Hold Me Tight’, Nash scored his first massive hit with the reggae-inspired ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ in 1972