Black Excellence: Jimmy Cliff
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/24/nx-s1-4526570/jimmy-cliff-obituary-reggae
Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican musician and actor who helped propel reggae into the international spotlight, has died at 81 years old. The singer-songwriter was known for hits such as “Many Rivers to Cross,” “You Can Get It if You Really Want” and the title track in the 1972 crime film The Harder They Come, in which he also starred as the main character.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Cliff
James Chambers (30 July 1944 – 24 November 2025), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and actor. At the time of his death, he was the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.
Cliff is best known among mainstream listeners and audiences for songs such as “Many Rivers to Cross“, “If I Follow My Mind”, 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 film The Harder They Come, which helped popularise reggae around the world,[2] and Club Paradise. Cliff was one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.