James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honor that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.
Cliff is best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Many Rivers to Cross", "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "The Harder They Come", "Reggae Night", and "Hakuna Matata", and his covers of Cat Stevens's "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film Cool Runnings. He starred in the film The Harder They Come, which helped popularize reggae around the world,[3] and Club Paradise. Cliff was one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
Career[]
Reggae singer. Moved to Kingston, Jamaica, 1962; recorded "Daisy Got Me Crazy," 1962; performed in U.S. on Jamaican government-sponsored tour, 1964; signed to Island label and worked in London, England, late 1960s; recorded breakthrough album, Wonderful World, Beautiful People, 1969; starred in film The Harder They Come and performed on hit soundtrack recording, 1972; albums for major labels Island, MCI, EMI, and CBS, 1970s and early 1980s; U.S. tours in 1990 and 2000.
Cliff made various attempts to reestablish a foothold in the U.S. market in the 1980s and 1990s, collaborating with the successful R&B group Kool & the Gang on two albums (one of which, Cliff Hanger, won a Grammy for Best Reggae Recording in 1985), and appearing in several films, including Club Paradise (1986) and Marked for Death (1990). He failed to reach upper chart levels, but a string of personal appearances kept his name before the public, and over the years his status as an elder and builder of reggae grew more and more secure. Cliff toured the U.S. in 2000, appearing at such major outdoor venues as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Atlanta's Music Midtown Festival.