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Jimmy Cliff

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Jimmy Cliff (born James Chambers, 1944, Somerton District, Jamaica) is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, songwriter and actor, and one of the music's most important international ambassadors. He starred in and provided songs for the influential 1972 film The Harder They Come, whose soundtrack helped bring reggae to a global audience, and is known for anthems such as "Many Rivers to Cross," "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "The Harder They Come." He is one of only a small number of performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for reggae.

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Jimmy Cliff — The Harder They Come (official)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performs

Official YouTube upload; embedded as reference.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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Audio

Many Rivers To Cross (From "The Harder They Come" Soundtrack)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performs

Official youtube upload (channel: UMG); embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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Jimmy Cliff — The Harder They Come (from The Harder They Come soundtrack, 1972)

YOUTUBE · rights discovery only · performs

YouTube upload; surfaced via web search result and embedded as a discovery-only external reference pending editorial review.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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Jimmy Cliff — Many Rivers To Cross (Provided to YouTube)

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Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group; discovery-only external reference.

Transcript pending ingestion.

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Many Rivers To Cross - Jimmy Cliff

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Official spotify upload; embedded as a discovery-only reference pending editorial review.

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In stories

Story · Well supportedSongs that crossed over

Jamaican records reached the world by half a dozen different routes — a London pop session, a film soundtrack, a cover version, a remix — and almost never the one the industry expected.

Story · ProbableReggae goes global

How Jamaican music crossed the water without leaving home.