"Jimmy Cliff, the reggae music pioneer whose role in the 1972 film The Harder They Come and its accompanying soundtrack was instrumental in introducing the genre to international audiences, has died at the age of 81. According to an Instagram post by Cliff's wife, Latifa Chambers, the musician died due to complications from a seizure followed by pneumonia. "Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace," Chambers wrote in her post."
"Born James Chambers, but known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, the musician was affectionally known as the "Jamaican Bob Dylan." The real Bob Dylan himself once called Cliff's 1970 track "Vietnam" the best protest song he had ever heard. Cliff scored a series of early hits with songs like "Many Rivers to Cross" and "You Can Get It If You Really Want" in the late 1960s, but his big break came with the 1972 Jamaican crime film The Harder They Come."
"The success of of The Harder They Come turned Cliff into an international star, leading to a tour of America and a musical guest slot during the first season of Saturday Night Live. However, in the late 1970s, Cliff briefly took a break from music, traveled to Africa, and converted to Islam. His musical output resumed in 1978 with the release of Give Thankx."
Jimmy Cliff died at 81 from complications of a seizure followed by pneumonia, his wife Latifa Chambers said on Instagram. Born James Chambers and nicknamed the "Jamaican Bob Dylan," Bob Dylan called Cliff's 1970 track "Vietnam" the best protest song he had ever heard. Cliff had early hits with "Many Rivers to Cross" and "You Can Get It If You Really Want." He composed and starred as Ivanhoe Martin in the 1972 film The Harder They Come, whose film and soundtrack made him an international star. Cliff took a late-1970s break, traveled to Africa, converted to Islam, and resumed with 1978's Give Thankx. He won a 1986 Grammy for Cliff Hanger as Best Reggae Recording.
Read at Consequence
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]