Jimmy Cliff OM (born James Chambers, 1 April 1948, Somerton District, St. James, Jamaica is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, musician and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest possible honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences. He is best known among mainstream audiences for songs such as "Sittin' in Limbo", "You Can Get It If You Really Want", "Many Rivers to Cross" from the soundtrack to The Harder They Come which helped popularize reggae across the world; his cover of Cat Stevens' "Wild World" and Johnny Nash's "I Can See Clearly Now" from the film, Cool Runnings. Outside of the reggae world, he is probably best known for his film appearance in The Harder They Come. Even after a string of hits, the singer has never quite managed to achieve mainstream acceptance, although in the late 1960s and early 1970s, he seemed poised for international stardom.
