Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff , of its true name James Chambers , become since its conversion with Islam El Hadj Naïm Bachir, is a singer of Reggae jamaïcain born on April 1st 1948 Sainte Catherine (Jamaica).

It is one of the artists Reggae who opened the most with other forms of music, which was worth a very great international notoriety to him since it touched a larger audience. It begins its career with one 45 turns of Ska in 1963, Miss Jamaica . Its first album “Road Hardware” leaves in 1967 but it will be necessary to await very famous film “The Harder They As” so that it is really discovered of the public.
This film today worship with “Country man” enables him to interpret the superb song “Many rivers to cross-country race” and great success “Sitting in limbo”. The album of the same name left in 1972 will become one of the albums reggae most sold in the world. That will make it possible Jimmy Cliff to make great international rounds during the Seventies.
The artist will leave several albums during the Eighties like “House off exile” in 1981 or “Power and glory” in 1983 et" Hanging fire" in 1987. But it will be individual “Reggae Night” made in a style much more pop, which will start again its career in a way much more significant.
Jimmy Cliff then will connect the albums (ten on the whole) during the Années 1990. In 2003 “The harder they as” will be republished in version " deluxe" and Jimmy Cliff will then leave “Black magic”, album in which it makes many Duo S with artists as various as Wyclef Jean (The Fugees) or Kool and the gang, Bernard Lavilliers and Yannick Noah.

Biography

Raised by his father in a rural hut, it leaves the school at thirteen years. He learns the songs from Rock roll of Fats Domino, Little Richard, Bobby Day or Dee Clark. Its career begins when it leaves the countryside in the bus for the capital Kingston, where it meets Count Boysie with which it records the Ska Daisy Got Me Crazy and I' m Sorry for the Sound system to sir Cavalier.

At the end of 1961, it proposes some songs with Leslie Kong, of which the title Dearest Beverley , which decides the merchant of ices to invest in its first recording and to create the mark Beverley' S. the disc leaves to England at Island Records at the same time as that Bob Marley. But only Hurricane Hattie of Jimmy Cliff will become a success. It record the other individual ones at Leslie Kong, of which King Of Kings and enormous local success Miss Jamaica .

In 1964, Jimmy leaves in round with Byron Lee, and flies away with him for New York in company of Prince Buster, Millie Small and Delroy Wilson with an aim of promoting the ska in the United States. In 1965, it leaves for London where it meets Chris Blackwell. This one makes it turn with a group of white rockeurs, of which Ian Hunter with the guitar and P.P. Arnold with the choruses (they pass to Paris to the Sport hall in 1968). It records the resumption of Whiter Shade Of Blade of Procol Harum for Island.

In 1968, in Brazil, it represents Jamaica with the international coucours of the song which it gains with the title Waterfall , which is worth to him an enormous success in South America. It signs then at A&M and writes the reggae Wonderful World, Beautiful People which triumphs in England in 1969. Its first album, carried out by Leslie Kong, leaves to A&M to the United States and Trojan to Great Britain. It contains the piece Vietnam , which makes great impression with Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. One finds there also the splendid ballade Too Many Rivers To Cross , taken again later by Joe Cocker.

Jimmy Cliff then obtains the first role in the film The Harder They As of Perry Henzell which tells the very hard reality of the industry of the disc in Jamaica. The turning of film lasts two years. Meanwhile, Jimmy records two other discs, Hard Road To Travel (Trojan-A&M) where one finds pop a jamaïcaine influence tinted English. With Another Cycles (Island), it affirms its intention to touch with all the styles.

The band of film is a great success for Island. It contains two versions of The Harder They Like and the pieces You Can Get It If You Really Want and Sitting In Limbo . The other titles are of Desmond Dekker, Toots & The Maytals, The Melodians, Scotty and The Slickers. Jimmy then refuses the proposal of Chris Blackwell and sign at EMI and leaves the album Unlimited , without success. It turns over then to Island and joins again with a typical fast reggae first years with Struggling Man (1974).

Contrary to the majority of its compatriots who adopt the theses of the Rastafarisme, Jimmy Cliff converts with the Islam, which he considers universal. It records discs of variety, is tested at the South American rates/rhythms and collaborates with the singer of reggae Joe Higgs. It connects several albums with the styles shone upon in various recording companies.

In 1982, when it signs an new agreement with CBS, it is turned towards Africa and South America. The album The Power & The Glory (1983) contains the two world tubes Reggae Night and We All Are One , and Hot Shot is on Sense Off Direction (1985).

In 1992, it obtains a new important success by taking again I Edge See Clearly Now of Johnny Nash. In 1994, it takes part in the original band of the cartoon of Walt Disney the King Lion with the title Hacuna Matata . It obtains finally a last tube in France in duet with Bernard Lavilliers: Melody Tempo Harmony .

Discography

Hardware Road, 1967
Jimmy Cliff, 1969, republished at Trojan in 1988
Hardware Road To Travel, 1970
Another Cycles, 1971
The Harder They Like, 1972, republished in 2003
Unlimited, 1973
Struggling Man, 1974
House off exiles, 1974 Republication 1975 EMI Records Ltd
Brave Warrior, 1975
Follow My Mind, 1975
The best off Jimmy Cliff in concert, 1976
Give Thanx , 1978
I Am The Living room, 1980
Give the People What They Want, 1981 Special
, 1982
The Power And The Glory, 1983
Can' T Get Enough Off It, 1984
Cliff Hanger, 1985 Judicious
Off Direction, 1985
Club Paradise, 1986
Hanging fire, 1987
Images, 1989
Save Our Planet Earth, 1990
Higher and Higher, 1998
Humanitarian, 1999
Fantastic Plastic People, 2002
Black Magic, 2003

Charts

Classification in the British charts (duration and better position):

1969: Wonderful World Beautiful People , 13 weeks, → n°6
1970: Vietnam , 3 weeks, → n°46
1970: Wild World , 12 weeks, → n°8
1994: I Edge See Clearly Now , 5 weeks, → n°23

Bond

Official site: http://www.jimmycliffonline.com/

Sources

Bruno Blum in the Dictionary of the rock'n'roll , under the direction of Michka Assayas, editions Robert Laffont, collection Books, 2001.

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