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Jimmy Cliff, a legendary reggae artist and Grammy winner, has passed away at 81, leaving behind a lasting musical legacy.
Jimmy Cliff (James Chambers) has died. He Was 81. The two-time Grammy Award-winning reggae musician passed away at his home in his adopted hometown of Kingston. Cliff was born James Chambers in St. James Parish in 1944. At a young age, he moved to Kingston. At 17, Cliff convinced a young shopkeeper, Leslie Kong, to sponsor his music career. Cliff and Kong released two singles that went nowhere. On his third try, they released a single titled “Hurricane Hattie.”
Jimmy Cliff Hangin’ Out @ Kong’s Store.
Cliff used to hang out in front of Kong’s store every day. Jamaican shopkeeper Leslie Kong produced the song. Jimmy Cliff met Kong while singing in front of his ice cream parlor/record shop.
In 1961, Hurricane Hattie became a marginal hit.
In the same year, Cliff signed with Leslie Kong’s newly formed record label, Beverly’s Records. Leslie Kong was one of the first investors in Island Records, an imprint founded by British-Jamaican Chris Blackwell. Blackwell would eventually buy out Kong’s share in the label. Kong also produced Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Jimmy Cliff performing The Harder They Come The Harder They Fall ” and ” For The Soundtrack to The Movie “The Harder They Come.“
In 1989, Chris Blackwell sold Island Records to PolyGram Records for $300 million. Today, PolyGram is owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). UMG is valued at $40 billion.
Other vocalists who recorded for Kong and the Beverley’s Label include Ken Boothe, Bruce Ruffin, the Gaylads[1], and Delroy Wilson. Ex-Skatalites saxophonist Roland Alphonso cut numerous instrumentals for Kong during the rocksteady period. When reggae arrived in late 1968, lead instrumental duties were handled by organists Ansell Collins and Winston Wright, a member of Tommy McCook’s Supersonics.
Jimmy Cliff wearing yellow pants and shirt holding his hands upward while performing on stage.
Jimmy Cliff would go to release:
Cliff is best known among mainstream listeners and audiences for songs such as “Many Rivers to Cross“, “You Can Get It If You Really Want“, “The Harder They Come“, “Reggae Night“, and his covers of “Hakuna Matata“, Cat Stevens’s “Wild World“, and Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now“ from the film Cool Runnings. He starred in the movie The Harder They Come, which helped popularize reggae worldwide,[3] and Club Paradise. Cliff was one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010….Wikipedia
Lee “Scratch” Perry another Reggae Legend also died in 2021. Jimmy Cliff stayed with Kong until Kong died in 1971, at the age of 37. Leslie Kong planned to release a compilation of several artists that he’s produced over the years — including Bunny Wailer (Neville O’Riley Livingston). It’s reported that Bunny Wailer (an “Obeah man”) disagreed with Kong releasing the compilation.
Wailer told Kong that if he released the compilation, he would put a curse on him. Kong released the compilation in 1971. In 1971, Kong died of a heart attack in the same year. The legendary reggae artist (Bunny Wailer) himself would later suffer and die from a stroke. In 2020, Bunny Wailer reported his wife missing. Jamaican authorities haven’t found her. The Jamaican police had suspected no foul play in her disappearance.
Bunny Wailer was 73 / 37. Some people familiar with the story said his soul died at 37. Bunny Wailer (Bob Marley’s stepbrother) was responsible for the mega hit song “Electric Boogie,” which he composed in 1982 for Marcia Griffiths. The song spawned a dance craze.
Jimmy Cliff’s wife, Latifa Chambers, announced his death in a statement on social media on his Instagram page on Monday. Ms. Chambers requested that the public respect their privacy.
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