Bob Marley is the King of Reggae. Kwame Dawes, one of Jamaica's foremost poets and novelists has written a book on just the lyrics of Bob Marley's music alone and has proclaimed him a genius. I am Jamaican through and through and am proud of all of Marley's achievements. Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s, I sang Bob's songs that I played on our family's record player. I remember how eagerly we anticipated the "Confrontation" album after his death. As an adult however, I suppose I have been very much like the New Yorker who never visits the Statue of Liberty. Visiting the Bob Marley museum? Waste of time, I thought. Yesterday, though, I finally did it. I took a tour. Surprise, surprise: it wasn't lame. The weekend before I had taken a fascinating tour of Trench Town Culture Yard, and the two rich experiences, in addition to being quite entertaining, have greatly expanded my knowledge of Bob Marley's life and re-ignited my respect for his music.
Jimmy Cliff at Induction Ceremony for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
So many things happening for Jimmy Cliff! On Monday, March 15 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with other such notables as Abba, Barry Mann, and Genesis. Upon accepting his induction by Wyclef Jean, Jimmy commented, "Reggae music is a music that was not conceived in the United States like most of the music forms that we know…so to be standing here with you today… is a great honor."
To commemorate this event, his previously released EP "You Can Get it if You Really Want" is now available exclusively for download on iTunes, and tomorrow March 19, in honour of the late Jamaican director Perry Henzell, the American Cinematheque will be hosting a screening of the classic Jamaican movie "The Harder They Come" starring Jimmy Cliff.
According to a post on his web site, Jimmy Cliff's next album titled "Existence" is on the verge of being released and will have 15 tracks, 13 of which will be brand new.
Jimmy Cliff Fact File
Name: James Chambers aka Jimmy Cliff
The African American Film festival will be featuring Perry Henzell's cult classic
The Harder they Come. The film will be shown on March 18 at the Kravic Center in West Palm Beach at 7 p.m. The movie, a favourite among Jamaicans and reggae music enthusiasts has an incredible score with many tracks sung by the legend Jimmy Cliff. Cliff also starred in the movie which is based on the exploits of notorious bad man Rhygin. For a complete article on the Film Festival
click here.
Jimmy Cliff
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