Jimmy Cliff is one of the gods of reggae music.
Born in
St. Catherine,
Jamaica in
1948, by the age of 14 had his first hit, "
Hurricane Hattie."
In
1971 Cliff burst onto
the American scene with what is the definitive reggae film, "
The Harder They Come." His performance as a wannabe raggae singer/gangster established his place at the forefront of the reggae movement.
Known for his easy, pop-friendly reggae style and sweet sounding voice, Cliff’s cover of
Johnny Nash’s "
I Can See Clearly Now" was huge radio hit in 1994, and exposed him to a new and younger generation. Cliff has also recorded versions of "
Whiter Shade of Pale" and "
Wild World."
Paul Simon was so impressed with Cliff’s recording of "
Vietnam" that he used the same rhythm section, studio and engineer to record his classic "
Mother and Child Reunion." Cliff also sings
Hakuna Matata on the
Lion King soundtrack.
Jimmy Cliff is known as the "World’s Greatest Living Reggae Superstar." Cliff has recently toured with the
Dave Matthews Band and
Steve Winwood. His recording credits include the
Rolling Stones’
Ron Wood and
Elivs Costello. Artists such as
Bruce Springsteen,
UB40 and
Jerry Garcia have covered his songs.
A partial discography:
Live 1993 The Magic Collection 2000
The Messenger: Very Best Of Reggae's Original... Metro (Import -England) 2000
Samba Reggae Riviere International Records 1999
Shout For Freedom Milan 1999
Humanitarian *
Eureka 1999
Ultimate Collection Hip-O Records 1999
Higher & Higher Island Jamaica 1998
Live & In The Studio Jamaican Vibes 1998
Super Hits Columbia 1997
Reggae Man Sony Music Special Products 1996
Higher And Higher... Single Atlantic 1994
I Can See Clearly Now Single Chaos Recordings 1993
Struggling Man Mango 1993
Breakout JRS Records 1992
Images Cliff 1991
Unlimited Trojan 1991
Cliffhanger Columbia 1989
Hanging Fire Columbia 1988
Reggae Greats Mango 1985
The Power & The Glory Columbia 1983
Special Columbia 1982
Give The People What They Want MCA Records 1981
I Am The Living MCA Records 1980
Give Thanks Warner Bros. Records 1978
In Concert: Best Of Jimmy Cliff Reprise 1976
Wonderful World, Beautiful People A&M Records 1970
The Harder They Come VIDEO
Island Visual Arts