Jamaican Reggae legend JIMMY CLIFF was born in 1948 as James Chambers and proved to be an accomplished performer at an early age.

At 14 he moved to Kingston and took the surname Cliff as a proclamation of the heights he imagined he would reach. In Kingston, Jimmy released the 1962 hit, Hurricane Hattie and numerous other recordings throughout the rest of the 1960s.

Jimmy Cliff moved to the UK in the late 60s and was bitterly disappointed with the racism he encountered there.

His song, Waterfall, won the Brazilian International Song Festival in 67 and in 68. He followed up Waterfall with the release of the protest song, Vietnam. In 1970, he enjoyed new success with his cover of the Cat Stevens song, Wild World.

Jimmy returned to Jamaica and left Island Records as they increasingly focused their attention on his protege, Bob Marley. It was at this time that Jimmy Cliff adopted the Muslim faith and the name, Na’im Bashir.

In 1972, Cliff starred in the film, The Harder They Come. The film and its soundtrack, comprised mainly of songs he wrote. Their instant popularity, along with his album Follow My Mind propelled Jimmy Cliff into stardom. For years he continued to release albums that were innovative and his songs always carried powerful messages.

His 1985 album Cliff Hanger won a Grammy Award and his cover of I Can See Clearly Now for the soundtrack to the film, Cool Runnings reached the Top 20 chart in the United States in 1993. Cliff continued his acting career in the films Club Paradise and Marked for Death.

In this week’s episode, Jimmy Cliff discusses his journey as a
musician and actor, sharing stories about his popular songs and the impact they had on people’s lives. He talks about the inspiration behind his hit songs and how they motivated others to
pursue their dreams. Cliff also reflects on his experience acting.

He discusses his relationship with Bob Marley and his role in
discovering and promoting other talented artists including Desmond Decker.

He also tells us about his latest album ‘Refugees’ which addresses one of his most personal causes.

Jimmy Cliff’s success in the music industry, in his words, has been driven by his confidence in himself and his ability to follow his own path. He is absolutely inspirational to chat with. I’m sure you will find him a delight to listen to.

– “You can get it if you really want.” – Jimmy Cliff

To learn more about Jimmy Cliff head to his website https://www.jimmycliff.com/

Jimmy Cliff continues to record music and tour the world.

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Sandy Kaye Sandy Kaye

Hello, I’m Sandy Kaye. A freelance broadcaster, journalist and producer who has spent more than 35 years on both sides of radio and television microphones. I’ve worked with every TV network in Australia, have produced and presented for countless radio stations around the country and have hosted my own commercial radio talk-back show. I’ve even held the distinction of being Sydney’s first female newsreader on radio – way back when!

Today my passion is A Breath of Fresh Air which allows me to immerse myself in one of my favourite things – music. I just love all kinds of music and am fascinated by the people who make it. In particular, it’s the music of the '60s '70s and '80s that takes me back to my youth and means so much to me.

As a journalist, I’m all about digging deep into the classic hits of our time.
I bring you intimate, warm, fireside chats with the artists who tell us about their lives both then and now.
We learn about what makes them tick, who they are in their professional and private lives and how they went about making the soundtrack to our lives.

'A Breath of Fresh Air’ is exceptional - exceptional not because of me, but rather because of the stories that some of the best-known musical artists choose to share with me.

I created this podcast to honour them. It’s all about THEIR lives, THEIR stories, THEIR music, told now, in THEIR voices, before they’re lost forever.

I see my podcast as a personal labour of love, but also as an archival legacy for music fans and practitioners alike, both current and future, who otherwise might never know of the amazing people who helped build the industry.

I really hope you enjoy each and every episode of A Breath of Fresh Air.