It’s Five Facts Friday! Today, we look at the legendary Jimmy Cliff who has been in the news a lot recently because of Volkswagen’s 2013 Super Bowl Ad. He sings the theme song, ”Get Happy”. See the teaser with Jimmy Cliff himself here:
Here are five facts about Jimmy Cliff:
- Jimmy Cliff was born James Chambers on July 30, 1948, in St. James, Jamaica
- In 1972, Jimmy Cliff was the lead actor in the iconic Jamaican film, The Harder They Come. He also helped to produce the soundtrack and sang a number of the songs including the title track which was inducted in the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2008
- The Harder They Come was not Jimmy Cliff‘s only acting role. In 1986, he appeared in the comedy, Club Paradise and contributed several songs to the soundtrack. In 1990, he appeared in the film Marked for Death.
- Other than being an actor, Jimmy Cliff‘s music has appeared in international films such as:
- Cocktail - which featured his single “Shelter Of Your Love” (1988)
- Cool Runnings – which featured his cover of Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now” (1993)
- Lion King – where he collaborated with another musician on “Hakuna Matata” (1995)
- Something’s Gotta Give - which featured “You Can Get It If You Really Want” (2003)
- His numerous awards include a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album (1986), induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2010) and he is a recipient of the Order of Merit, the third highest conferred upon a citizen of Jamaica by the Government.
