MUSICAL ROOTS
This month, we spotlight Jimmy Cliff
As a long-time ambassador for the Jamaican sound, the music of Jimmy Cliff has weaved its way through the global pop scene and Roots culture for the past 33 years. Ironically, outside of reggae circles, he’s better known for his film appearances than his music. To this day, even Cliff himself believes he’s a better actor than musician.
He was born James Chambers in St. Catherine, Jamaica on April 1, 1948. Musically inclined as a child, he later changed his last name in his youth to Cliff to express the heights he intended on reaching.
In 1964, at age 16, Cliff was selected as one of Jamaica’s representatives at the World’s Fair in New York and received much praise for his infectious deep reggae grooves. After living in France and Britain, he released his debut album, Hard Road To Travel on Island Records founded by Chris Blackwell (a good friend of Roots) and looked to achieve mainstream success.
The song “Vietnam” from Cliff’s 1969 album Wonderful World was called the best protest song ever by Bob Dylan, who knows a thing or two about such matters. “Wild World”, a Cat Stevens cover, was an instant smash in 1970. Then tragedy struck, Cliff’s long-time friend and mentor Leslie Kong died suddenly of a heart attack in August 1971. One of the last projects Kong had been overseeing was the soundtrack to the movie The Harder They Come. The film did very well and helped push reggae music into the international spotlight and included some of Cliff’s greatest works “Many Rivers To Cross” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want” (both available on The Roots Of Reggae, Vol. 1)
The film also starred Cliff, but failed to bring him international acclaim. Island Records soon turned most of its attention to Bob Marley and Cliff soon left Island to sign elsewhere. He released many more albums with various labels and in 1985 his album Cliff Hanger won the Grammy for Best Reggae Recording. He returned to the charts in 1993 when his cover of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” from the soundtrack to Cool Runnings entered the Top 20. (The Roots outfits were a hit at the 1988 Olympics while the story of the team forms the basis of Cool Runnings starring John Candy wearing his famous Roots jacket).
Cliff has more recently worked with Kool & The Gang, Sting and Wyclef Jean. - Davin Bujalski
To learn more about Jimmy Cliff: www.jimmycliffonline.com. To listen to his music: The Harder They Come, released 1972, Mango Records; The Ultimate Collection, released 1999, Universal Records.
As a long-time ambassador for the Jamaican sound, the music of Jimmy Cliff has weaved its way through the global pop scene and Roots culture for the past 33 years. Ironically, outside of reggae circles, he’s better known for his film appearances than his music. To this day, even Cliff himself believes he’s a better actor than musician.He was born James Chambers in St. Catherine, Jamaica on April 1, 1948. Musically inclined as a child, he later changed his last name in his youth to Cliff to express the heights he intended on reaching.
In 1964, at age 16, Cliff was selected as one of Jamaica’s representatives at the World’s Fair in New York and received much praise for his infectious deep reggae grooves. After living in France and Britain, he released his debut album, Hard Road To Travel on Island Records founded by Chris Blackwell (a good friend of Roots) and looked to achieve mainstream success.
The song “Vietnam” from Cliff’s 1969 album Wonderful World was called the best protest song ever by Bob Dylan, who knows a thing or two about such matters. “Wild World”, a Cat Stevens cover, was an instant smash in 1970. Then tragedy struck, Cliff’s long-time friend and mentor Leslie Kong died suddenly of a heart attack in August 1971. One of the last projects Kong had been overseeing was the soundtrack to the movie The Harder They Come. The film did very well and helped push reggae music into the international spotlight and included some of Cliff’s greatest works “Many Rivers To Cross” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want” (both available on The Roots Of Reggae, Vol. 1)
The film also starred Cliff, but failed to bring him international acclaim. Island Records soon turned most of its attention to Bob Marley and Cliff soon left Island to sign elsewhere. He released many more albums with various labels and in 1985 his album Cliff Hanger won the Grammy for Best Reggae Recording. He returned to the charts in 1993 when his cover of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” from the soundtrack to Cool Runnings entered the Top 20. (The Roots outfits were a hit at the 1988 Olympics while the story of the team forms the basis of Cool Runnings starring John Candy wearing his famous Roots jacket).
Cliff has more recently worked with Kool & The Gang, Sting and Wyclef Jean. - Davin Bujalski
To learn more about Jimmy Cliff: www.jimmycliffonline.com. To listen to his music: The Harder They Come, released 1972, Mango Records; The Ultimate Collection, released 1999, Universal Records.
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