Jimmy Cliff Obituary

One of the greatest stars of Jamaican reggae known for his 1969 hit Many Rivers to Cross and the film The Harder They Come The singer and songwriter Jimmy Cliff, who has died aged 81, was one of Jamaicas most celebrated performers. An itinerant ambassador who introduced the music and culture of his island to audiences across the world at a time when reggae was largely unknown, he was a pioneer with a distinctive high tenor voice whose themes of civil and human rights resonated with many. The stirring optimism of his orchestrated spent 13 weeks in the British singles charts in 1969, peaking at No 6, and his caustic , in the same year, was a favourite of Bob Dylans that inspired Paul Simon to later record Mother and Child Reunion in Jamaica with the same backing band, after Dylan made him aware of it.