Jimmy Cliff (81), first Jamaican Reggae great was born James Chambers on 30 July 1944 in St James, northwestern Jamaica in the Montego Bay area, the second youngest of nine children. He began writing songs during primary school while listening to a neighbour’s sound system. At 14, he travelled with his father to Kingston, where he adopted the name Jimmy Cliff. Determined to break into the local scene, he visited producers, entered talent shows and pushed to have his songs recorded. Those early years were marked by persistence that became a hallmark of his long career.
His breakthrough arrived in a moment that has entered Jamaican music folklore. Cliff approached a record shop and restaurant called Beverley’s, run by Leslie Kong and his brothers. Cliff introduced himself to Kong, convinced him to consider the recording business, and persuaded him to start with one of Cliff’s songs. That bold step led Kong to establish Beverley’s Records and, with it, to begin one of the most important producer-artist relationships in Jamaican history.
Leslie Kong‘s influence on Cliff’s career cannot be overstated. Kong recorded Cliff’s early singles, including Hurricane Hattie, which became a hit when Cliff was just 17.
Kong also produced Miss Jamaica and King Of Kings, releases that helped Cliff gain domestic recognition. The partnership lasted until Kong’s death in 1971, and the producer’s vision helped establish a foundation for ska and rocksteady. Kong also recorded Jamaican icons including Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker and Toots And The Maytals, and he was an early shareholder in Island Records. His role in Cliff’s ascent remains essential to any account of reggae’s development.
Cliff moved to the United Kingdom after signing with Island Records. His international debut album Hard Road To Travel, released in 1967, received wide attention and introduced his music to larger audiences. Wonderful World, Beautiful People and Vietnam followed, with Vietnam receiving high praise for its lyrical force. Many Rivers To Cross became a defining song of struggle and resilience. These tracks reinforced his presence across Europe, North America and South America.
His acting role in The Harder They Come in 1972 transformed his global impact. The film told the story of an ambitious young man in Kingston who turns to crime after setbacks in the recording industry. Cliff’s performance helped bring Jamaican culture to the world, and the soundtrack became a landmark release that expanded reggae’s international reach. Before Marley gained traction, there was the 1972 film, “The Harder They Come,” directed by Perry Henzell and masterminded by Chris Blackwell. It was not released in America until 1973, part of the reggae push, but unlike “Catch a Fire,” “The Harder They Come” did ignite, albeit slowly, via word of mouth after continued exhibition, especially in the college student mecca of Boston, where the film had a seven year midnight run at the Orson Welles Cinema.
But it wasn’t only the film, within which Jimmy Cliff starred as Ivan, it was also the SOUNDTRACK! A cornucopia of reggae’s greatest hits featuring first and foremost the work of Cliff, the album caught you immediately with “You Can Get It If You Really Want.”
And Jimmy Cliff was the biggest star in reggae. Eclipsing Bob Marley by far at that time. Marley’s Island career really didn’t gain any significant traction until “Rastaman Vibration,” four studio albums in.
But when Jimmy’s 1973 Island album “Struggling Man” did such, despite the movie, Jimmy jumped ship to the major labels. EMI in Europe and Reprise in the U.S. To may it felt like he sold out, in search of stardom, he was not an authentic Jamaican spliff-smoker, he had become part of the machine, he was no longer one of the struggling originals. And this perception spread from the island to the mainland, and the small group who were reggae fans shunned Cliff, he was for everybody else, not them.
But Reprise couldn’t break Cliff, not in the traditional way. Meanwhile, Marley was percolating up from the bottom, and when he and his group finally got a toehold, it was not radio that spread the word, but the public, who adored the Wailers like fans adored the Grateful Dead. The Wailers got even less radio airplay. But word was you just had to see them. And people did, and the legend grew.
Jimmy put out “Give Thankx” in 1978, and it received a push from Reprise, but sans Chris Blackwell, sans being part of the Island reggae cult, sans a hit (which even Marley and the Wailers did not have), Jimmy Cliff was just another major label act trolling for radio airplay to rocket them into the stratosphere, and that never happened.
And then Jimmy Cliff converted to Islam, when reggae fans were all over Rastafarianism. And this sealed his outsider status. And reggae fans knew. Jimmy was not a pariah, he became just a sideshow, a very small sideshow… Reggae lifted the boats of everyone playing it except for Jimmy, the wind was no longer in his sails.
Cliff continued to build a diverse career across the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He recorded with Kool & The Gang, appeared on Saturday Night Live and provided vocals for The Rolling Stones. His song Trapped gained new prominence after Bruce Springsteen added it to his live set during The River Tour. His version of I Can See Clearly Now reached number one in several countries after featuring in the film Cool Runnings in 1993. Cliff also contributed to the global success of Hakuna Matata from The Lion King soundtrack.
In the 2000s and 2010s, Cliff collaborated with artists including Joe Strummer, Sting and Annie Lennox. His album Rebirth, produced with Tim Armstrong, won the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album. He continued performing worldwide and released the album Refugees in 2022. His career remained active across six decades, with continued recognition from audiences and institutions.
Cliff spoke often about faith and identity, acknowledging different philosophical paths over his lifetime. He described himself as having a universal outlook and believed in science later in life. He was married and had three children, including actress and singer Nabiyah Be.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness stated that Cliff’s music lifted people in hard times and helped shape global respect for Jamaica. His contribution to the international language of reggae remains profound. His work remains essential listening for anyone seeking to understand the social and cultural power of Jamaican music. Cliff helped carry Jamaica’s musical identity into the global arena through ska, rocksteady and reggae, and he did so with a catalogue that became a foundation for international recognition of Jamaican culture. His voice shaped generations, his film work opened doors for reggae, and his presence bridged eras across six decades of change.
His wife confirmed that he passed away on 24 November 2025 in hospital after complications from pneumonia. His death brings to a close a career unmatched in scope and significance across Jamaican music. At the time of his passing, Cliff was the only living reggae artist to hold the Order of Merit, which remains one of the highest honours granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.
