Reggae superstar jimmy cliff crosses the final river

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WHAT’S UP!

In 1969, Jimmy Cliff, then 25, had just about had it with his life in London. He had moved to the UK on the advice of Chris Blackwell, founder of the record label Island Records. They both believed he had outgrown Jamaica, and it was time to conquer the world. But, like many migrants before and after him, he found London was not paved with gold as he had been led to believe.

“When I came to the UK, I was still in my teens. I came full of vigour: I’m going to make it, I’m going to be up there with the Beatles and the Stones,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“And it wasn’t really going like that. I was touring clubs, not breaking through. I was struggling with work, life, and my identity. I couldn’t find my place.”

He poured all his frustrations into the song Many Rivers to Cross, all the poverty and racism he faced in the UK, and the seemingly unforgiving industry. It is ironic that through pain, and it is true for many creative people, comes brilliance. Many Rivers to Cross would become a classic and be covered by many artistes, including UB40, Cher and John Lennon.

Born James Chambers in rural Jamaica, he would later change his name to Jimmy Cliff, reportedly to reflect the heights he intended to climb.

Like many Jamaican musicians, he moved to Kingston to try and make his way. He cut his first record after walking into a restaurant and convincing one of the owners, Leslie Kong, to go into the recording business, starting with him. Kong would remain one of Cliff’s producers till the former died of a heart attack in 1971.

Most Ugandans think of Bob Marley as the original reggae messiah, but before him, there was Jimmy Cliff. As reggae music evolved from ska and mento (Jamaican folk music) and rocksteady, Cliff was there. First fronted as a rock artiste in the UK, Cliff turned to the slowed-down tempo of reggae as his vehicle. Roots reggae, as popularised by the likes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, slowed it down even further, moving away from Cliff’s ‘happy rhythm’ but with more or less the same messages – of poverty, inequality, and oppression.

Roots reggae was also heavily influenced by the Rastafari movement, of which Cliff was not a part. And he never grew dreadlocks.

I’m still trying to decide which of Cliff’s songs I heard first. My eldest brother, Jesse, was really into music, and Hard to Travel was one of the earliest records I heard him playing at home. It is a typical Cliff song, an upbeat rhythm to a message of hardship, sung in his distinctive ‘wailing’ tenor voice.

Then came the film The Harder They Come in 1972, whose soundtrack was a huge international success, and is considered to have popularised reggae even before Bob Marley came on the scene. Rolling Stone ranks it as one of the Top 500 Albums of All Time. Many people’s favourite Cliff songs come off this album, and every track is a gem.

Again, it is difficult for me to choose which one is my best, but I remember my high school buddies and I really liked the machine-gun-like lyrics of Shanty Town (written by Desmond Decker). I still remember us singing (or shouting out) the chorus, “Dem a loot, dem a shoot, dem a wail, A shanty town”, over and over again.

Some of my favourite Cliff’s songs are I Can See Clearly Now (written by Johnny Nash), House of Exile, Struggling Man, You Can Get It If You Really Want, Wonderful World, Beautiful People (used to confuse this with Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong), Reggae Night, Vietnam (classic Cliff, happy tune but sad message), Wild World (1971), and Time Will Tell.

Comparisons with Bob Marley are inevitable, but they both did a tremendous job in making reggae a worldwide phenomenon.

Cliff came into his own around the time Jamaica got its independence from Britain, and while addressing the pressing issues of the time, there was a sense of hope and celebration.

But, like in many other countries, the euphoria that followed independence soon faded, and that is where Bob Marley picked up. His music was rawer and more confrontational, and heavily influenced by Rastafarianism. While Cliff explored themes of hope, perseverance, and social justice, Marley raged against the system.

But, to me, the song that really exemplifies the essence of Jimmy Cliff is Many Rivers to Cross. Its message of struggle, perseverance, and hope resonates deeply with anyone facing adversity.

Many rivers to cross

And it’s only my will that keeps me alive

I’ve been licked, washed up for years

And I merely survive because of my pride.

On Monday (Nov. 24) this week, Jimmy Cliff, aged 81, crossed his final river.

Fare thee well, Jimmy, and thank you for the music.

You can follow Kabuye on X @KalungiKabuye