Jimmy Cliff

At age 14, reggae legend Jimmy Cliff dropped out of technical school and persuaded producer Leslie Kong to record his song “Hurricane Hattie,” which subsequently topped the charts in his native Jamaica. ∙ He was among a select group of reggae stars who represented Jamaica at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. ∙ In 1972, Cliff starred in The Harder They Come, and the film’s soundtrack—featuring his songs “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Sitting in Limbo”—introduced reggae to a worldwide audience. ∙ He won the Best Reggae Recording Grammy Award for 1985’s Cliff Hanger, which featured collaborations with La Toya Jackson and members of Kool & the Gang. ∙ His cover of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”—included on the soundtrack for the 1993 film Cool Runnings—became a Top 20 US hit, his highest-ever Stateside charting. ∙ Cliff was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Merit in 2003, in recognition of his contributions to music and film. ∙ In 2010, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. ∙ Cliff passed away in 2025 aged 81.