The inspiration for Jamaican music cover versions comes from many sources, but I have to confess I was surprised when I learnt that the original version of one of John Holt’s best known recordings – and a pop hit for Errol Dunkley – was an obscure novelty song hidden away on a B side and performed by a British girl group.

The Ladybirds will be remembered by people of a certain age as a seemingly ever present harmony trio who used to perform on UK TV shows hosted by the likes of Cilla Black, Twiggy, The Two Ronnies, Benny Hill, Les Dawson and Tommy Cooper in the 1970s. You would see them in the background, in matching frocks providing whatever backing vocals were required on the current hits and standards being sung live by that week’s big name guest artist or the programme host, and – very occasionally, if memory serves – singing a tune on their own. They were also busy working in recording studios, singing backing vocals on hits (and flops) by a huge array of artists including Sandie Shaw, Rolf Harris and Des O’Connor. The trio’s origins were in The Vernons Girls, a popular female singing group who all worked at the Liverpool based pools firm. After providing the backing vocals on Marc Bolan’s 1965 debut single “The Wizard”, followed by the release of a Columbia 7" “I Wanna Fly”/“OK Fred”, they began a 12 year tenure singing backing vocals on the BBC TV show Top Of The Pops.

The original “OK Fred” may have had the distinction of being recorded at the legendary Lansdowne Studios in West London, but it has to be said that even by the standards of the mid-1960s, it’s a fairly lame novelty pop song, and the fact that it was placed on the B side of the poppy “I Wanna Fly”, which failed to make any impact on the charts at all, makes it an even more peculiar choice for a cover.

I can only speculate as to how John Holt heard it – I can’t imagine it being played on Jamaican radio or TV, and as songs go, it’s particularly unsuitable for club or sound systems play. I can only presume that he randomly heard it at someone’s house (perhaps during his time in the UK in 1970?) and just liked the sound of it, unless there’s another – so far untraced - version that may have reached Jamaica from the US.

Whatever the circumstances, Holt slightly amended the lyrics and, with the help of the session players at Studio One, somehow managed to turn a novelty flop into a supremely catchy piece of Jamaican reggae. It’s not one of his biggest sellers, but it was nevertheless a deserved hit in Jamaica – the UK release made it an A side to the superior “Fancy Make Up”, which as far as I know is a genuine John Holt composition – and the title track of a Holt solo album in 1972.

The song was also memorable enough for Errol Dunkley to cover it and score a UK national chart hit with it at the end of the same decade.

Dunkley, among others, explained the “yaga yaga” lyrics as a Jamaican slang term for a carefree, easygoing downtown youth, but obviously that isn’t quite right, especially as The Ladybirds ask what it means in a coda at the end of their version… and they’re still waiting for an answer! Trinity recorded a deejay version where he defined a tramp as a “yagga yagga”, and legendary Jamaican singer Jackie Edwards recorded an answer version “My Name Is Fred” where he stated that a “yagga yagga” was a peaceful, righteous Christian man who will do no wrong... but I’m not sure anyone would have taken that seriously.

With its excellent rhythm and Vin Gordon’s distinctive trombone, John Holt’s Studio One cut remains the definitive performance of “OK Fred”. Other versions include an eminently disposable U-Roy cut, and a rather pedestrian Dean Fraser instrumental. Its rhythm, meanwhile, has never been seen as being conducive to being licked over for other songs, deejay cuts, instrumentals or dub mixes. If you’re looking for a “Part Two”, your best bet is to search for King Stitt’s “Redder Than Fred”, a standout track from Coxsone Dodd’s sound system mic man who pioneered the deejay explosion ahead of U-Roy in 1970. Despite being repressed on 7", it’s not listed on YouTube as a separate recording, but it does feature in this mix by DJ Algoriddim exploring versions of the track. Enjoy!

Chris Lane is a label boss, writer, producer and selector based in London. Subscribers can read more about his Fashion Records label in Neil Kulkarni’s feature in The Wire 421 in the online library. You can find all of Chris’s previous columns here: https://www.thewire.co.uk/in-writing/columns/