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Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff (James Chambers, 1944–2025): Jamaican ska and reggae singer. “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” (UK No. 6, 1969), “Many Rivers to Cross”, star of The Harder They Come (1972).

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Beverley's and Leslie Kong

James Chambers was born in Saint James parish and moved to Kingston as a teenager. Unable to find a producer, he talked the Chinese-Jamaican shop owner Leslie Kong into starting a label, Beverley's. His 1962 single "Hurricane Hattie," cut when he was a teenager, was a Jamaican hit, and he stayed with Kong as producer until Kong's death in 1971. Kong's Beverley's roster also included Desmond Dekker, Derrick Morgan, the Maytals and, briefly, Bob Marley.

London and Island Records

Cliff signed to Chris Blackwell's Island Records and moved to the United Kingdom in the mid 1960s. Island first tried to market him to a rock audience with little success. The breakthrough came with the Kong-produced album Jimmy Cliff (1969, released in the US as Wonderful World, Beautiful People). The title single reached No. 6 in the UK and No. 25 in the US. The same sessions produced "Vietnam" (UK No. 46, 1970), which Bob Dylan called the best protest song he had heard, and "Many Rivers to Cross," later covered by UB40 and Cher. His version of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" reached UK No. 8 in 1970, and he wrote "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" for The Pioneers (UK No. 5, 1971).

The Harder They Come

In Perry Henzell's 1972 film The Harder They Come, Cliff played Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin, a country youth who comes to Kingston to record and ends up an outlaw. The soundtrack, with Cliff's title song, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "Many Rivers to Cross" alongside tracks by The Maytals, Desmond Dekker and The Melodians, carried reggae to audiences in the US and Europe.

Later career and honours

Cliff kept recording and touring through the following decades. He won the Grammy for Best Reggae Album for Cliff Hanger (1985) and Rebirth (2012). Jamaica awarded him the Order of Merit in 2003, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the second Jamaican after Bob Marley. He died in Kingston on 24 November 2025, aged 81.

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Now playingMany Rivers To Cross
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Many Rivers To Cross
Many Rivers To CrossJimmy Cliff - Topic
Wonderful World, Beautiful People
Wonderful World, Beautiful PeopleJimmy Cliff - Topic
Hurricane Hatty (1962 Recording Remastered)
Hurricane Hatty (1962 Recording Remastered)Jimmy Cliff - Topic
The Harder They Come (From "The Harder They Come" Soundtrack)
The Harder They Come (From "The Harder They Come" Soundtrack)Jimmy Cliff - Topic
JIMMY CLIFF - Vietnam (1969)
JIMMY CLIFF - Vietnam (1969)AFRIKA-HITS-70+
Every record

Discography

Pulled from Discogs. Titles in yellow have a full page on Breakbeat Archive.

Studio albums 38

  1. 1967Hard Road To TravelIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  2. 1968Jimmy Cliff In BrazilPhilipseBayDiscogs
  3. 1969Can't Get Enough Of ItVeepeBayDiscogs
  4. 1969Jimmy CliffIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  5. 1970The Greatest HitsPhilipseBayDiscogs
  6. 1971Two WorldsBeverley's RecordseBayDiscogs
  7. 1971Another CycleIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 1971Goodbye YesterdayIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  9. 1973UnlimitedEMIeBayDiscogs
  10. 1973Struggling ManIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  11. 1974House Of ExileEMIeBayDiscogs
  12. 1975The Best Of Jimmy Cliff Vol. 1Island RecordseBayDiscogs
  13. 1975Brave WarriorEMIeBayDiscogs
  14. 1975Follow My MindReprise RecordseBayDiscogs
  15. 1976In Concert - The Best Of Jimmy CliffReprise RecordseBayDiscogs
  16. 1978Give ThankxWarner Bros. RecordseBayDiscogs
  17. 1980I Am The LivingWEAeBayDiscogs
  18. 1981Give The People What They WantWEAeBayDiscogs
  19. 1982SpecialColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  20. 1983Golden HitsEMI-Odeon BrasileBayDiscogs
  21. 1983The Power And The GloryColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  22. 1986Reggae HitsCBSeBayDiscogs
  23. 1987Hanging FireCBSeBayDiscogs
  24. 1989ImagesVision RecordseBayDiscogs
  25. 1991BreakoutSom LivreeBayDiscogs
  26. 1993The Jimmy Cliff ReggamixVersailleseBayDiscogs
  27. 1994The Power And The Glory & Cliff HangerVersailleseBayDiscogs
  28. 1996Higher & HigherIsland JamaicaeBayDiscogs
  29. 1998Special / The Power And The GloryVersailleseBayDiscogs
  30. 1998Journey Of A LifetimeIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  31. 1999HumanitarianGlobe MusiceBayDiscogs
  32. 2001Cliff Hanger / SpecialColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  33. 2002Fantastic Plastic PeopleArtist NetworkeBayDiscogs
  34. 2004Black MagicUnique CorpeBayDiscogs
  35. 2011Original Album ClassicsColumbia, Legacy, Sony MusiceBayDiscogs
  36. 2012RebirthSunpowereBayDiscogs
  37. 2020CelebrateGold VinyleBayDiscogs
  38. 2022RefugeesUMeeBayDiscogs

Collaborative albums 6

  1. 1970Wonderful World Beautiful People / Like It Is, Like It WasJimmy Cliff / The Dells · AFRTSeBayDiscogs
  2. 1976Rock Around The World Show #105Toots & The Maytals / Jimmy Cliff · Rock Around The WorldeBayDiscogs
  3. 2000Brand New KeyMelanie Feat. Jimmy Cliff · Deshima MusiceBayDiscogs
  4. —Classic TracksBob & Marcia / Jimmy Cliff · Classic TrackseBayDiscogs
  5. —Especial Para Juke BoxNew Kids On The Block, Shana, Jimmy Cliff, Mariah Carey · CBSeBayDiscogs
  6. —Oh What A Kiss / L'Amour Vaut Bien / Gisel / Let's DanceWill Andy / Jean Géral / Sunlights* / Jimmy Cliff · Monogram (5)eBayDiscogs

EPs & mixtapes 8

  1. 1967Give And TakeFontanaeBayDiscogs
  2. 1967I Got A Feeling (And I Can't Stop)Fontana, FontanaeBayDiscogs
  3. 1970Wonderful World, Beautiful PeoplePhilipseBayDiscogs
  4. 1970Wild WorldIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  5. 1977Look At The Mountains / No Woman, No Cry / Remake The World / You're The Only OneReprise RecordseBayDiscogs
  6. 1985Cliff HangerDiscos CBSeBayDiscogs
  7. 2011Sacred Fire EPCollective SoundseBayDiscogs
  8. —VietnamIsland RecordseBayDiscogs

Compilations 43

  1. 1973Pop ChronikIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  2. 1975Saturday Night Is Reggae NightIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  3. 1975The Best Of Jimmy CliffIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  4. 1977Oh JamaicaEMI NUTeBayDiscogs
  5. 1978Many Rivers To CrossIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  6. 1981CollectionEMIeBayDiscogs
  7. 1982Greatest HitsReprise RecordseBayDiscogs
  8. 1984Reggae GreatsMangoeBayDiscogs
  9. 1985Reggae Nights - The Very Best Of Jimmy CliffCBSeBayDiscogs
  10. 1986The Best OfWEAeBayDiscogs
  11. 1987Fundamental ReggaySee For Miles Records Ltd.eBayDiscogs
  12. 1990Jimmy Cliff / Third WorldDeAgostinieBayDiscogs
  13. 1990Gold CollectionCBSeBayDiscogs
  14. 1991Jimmy Cliff - Third World - Peter ToshColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  15. 1992La LégendeClub DialeBayDiscogs
  16. 1992Monster Of ReggaeGlobo/ColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  17. 1993The BestVersailleseBayDiscogs
  18. 1994Reggae Classics - The Very Best Of Jimmy CliffColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  19. 199416 Grandes ExitosColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  20. 1995Definitive CollectionColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  21. 1995Reggae ManSony Music Special ProductseBayDiscogs
  22. 1995Vol. 2VersailleseBayDiscogs
  23. 1996Best OfVersailleseBayDiscogs
  24. 1996Selection Of Jimmy CliffGold SoundeBayDiscogs
  25. 1997Super HitsColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  26. 1999Ultimate CollectionHip-O RecordseBayDiscogs
  27. 1999Simply The BestColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  28. 2000You Can Get It If You Really Want... The Best OfMusic ClubeBayDiscogs
  29. 2000The Messenger (The Very Best Of Reggae's Original Soul Star)MetroeBayDiscogs
  30. 2001Classic Jimmy CliffIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  31. 2002We All Are One: The Best OfColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  32. 2003Many Rivers To Cross (The Best Of Jimmy Cliff)Trojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  33. 2003Sunshine In The MusicColumbiaeBayDiscogs
  34. 2003AnthologyIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  35. 2003The CollectionSony Music MediaeBayDiscogs
  36. 2003The EMI Years 1973-1975EMI GoldeBayDiscogs
  37. 2004Timeless HitsSony Music MediaeBayDiscogs
  38. 2004Reggae NightPlanet SongeBayDiscogs
  39. 2005The Harder They Come: The Definitive CollectionTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  40. 2010Harder Road To Travel: The CollectionTrojan RecordseBayDiscogs
  41. 2013IconIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  42. 2017Best Of Jimmy CliffIsland RecordseBayDiscogs
  43. —Reggae LegendsEpiceBayDiscogs
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