Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer and musician from Adelphi, Jamaica. He is also described as a soul musician, and his work spans reggae, reggae-pop, ska, roots reggae and related Jamaican popular styles. He is linked with the group Engine Room and with the label Sunflower Music.

Career

Born James Chambers, Cliff moves to Kingston in 1962 and begins recording after early singles fail to make much impact. His career takes off with “Hurricane Hattie”, a hit produced by Leslie Kong, who remains an important collaborator until his death. Other early local hits include “King of Kings”, “Dearest Beverley” and “Pride and Passion”.

In 1964, he is chosen as one of Jamaica’s representatives at the World’s Fair. He then signs to Island Records and moves to Britain, where the label first tries to market him to rock audiences. His international debut album, Hard Road to Travel, receives strong reviews and includes “Waterfall”, a Brazilian hit that wins the International Song Festival.

International recognition

Cliff follows Hard Road to Travel with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” in 1969 and “Vietnam” in 1970, both of which travel widely. His version of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” is also successful in 1970. Bob Dylan calls “Vietnam” the best protest song he has heard.

The soundtrack to The Harder They Come becomes one of Cliff’s defining releases and helps popularise reggae internationally. It sells strongly worldwide, while Cliff’s title-track performance becomes one of his best-known recordings, alongside “Sittin’ in Limbo”, “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “Many Rivers to Cross”.

Later work

After a series of albums, Cliff pauses his career and travels to Africa, where he explores Muslim spirituality, then returns to music and tours for several years. He later records with Kool & the Gang on Power & the Glory (1983). His song “Trapped” gains wider prominence when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band add it to their live set during the River Tour and it is later included on the 1985 We Are the World benefit album.

Cliff Hanger (1985) wins a Grammy Award. He continues to have strong sales in Jamaica and some success in the UK, and returns to the U.S. and other pop charts with “I Can See Clearly Now”, his version of the Johnny Nash song, from the Cool Runnings soundtrack in 1993.

Albums and collaborations

In 2002, Cliff releases Fantastic Plastic People in Europe after making the album available as free downloads through Delacove’s People Music Media p2p software. The record features collaborations with Joe Strummer, Annie Lennox and Sting, and includes new songs that recall his earlier hits. In 2004, he reworks the material for Black Magic, shifting away from traditional reggae toward an electronica sound. He also records a version of the African song “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”.

His recording of “You Can Get It If You Really Want” is later used as a campaign anthem by the Sandinista National Liberation Front in Nicaragua and by the British Conservative Party at its annual conference in 2007. In 2012, he is named Artist of the Year by Caribbean Journal for his work on Rebirth. He releases Refugees in 2022.

Awards and honours

Cliff holds the Jamaican Order of Merit, the highest honour the Jamaican government grants for achievements in the arts and sciences. He is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. He is also named Artist of the Year by Caribbean Journal in 2012.