Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican ska & reggae musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and actor. He is the only living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences...
NationalityJamaican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth1 April 1948
CountryJamaica
acting complete love
I used to do a little acting in school. It was my first love, and I really thought I would be doing it as a career. I really wanted to complete that part of my ambition.
coming diplomacy diplomatic educated heart knew love
I would love to see no more ghettos, but the things is, there's no diplomacy in the ghetto. They want to tell you something, they tell you straight! An upper class, more educated person - they find a diplomatic way to tell you the thing. I love it when you just come heart to heart. That's the way I knew it coming up, so that's the way I like it.
love-is essence
The love is the part of us that can never go. It's the essence that was always there, so that can never go.
love-is knowing eternal-love
Beyond everything else, that's one of the things that kept us going, that keeps me going, you know, the eternal love, knowing that I am in the love of the all and all love is in me.
coming create gates known music opened people singer songwriter vehicle
It was the vehicle that propelled me to international stardom. I was known as a singer songwriter before that, but people did not know me as an actor. It showed the world where the music I contributed to create was coming from. It opened the gates for Jamaican music, internationally.
bit cliff guess jimmy outside step
With acting, you have to become someone else. That's the fun part of it for me - to step outside of yourself and become a character. I guess being Jimmy Cliff is a little bit of a character, too.
artist forgotten time
Now you can manufacture just about what you want and after just a little time the artist is forgotten and gone.
phase sought
It's phase we're going through. Eventually, what is real will be sought after again.
telling
I grew up in the church and had always questioned what they were telling me.
music perry songs
Someone like Katy Perry - I like her writing because I listen to music as a songwriter. I like a lot of her songs - like, 'Firework' is a song that I think I could write.
travel
I wanted to travel the world - I don't how that idea got in my head, but I really wanted to see the world... towns, cities, countries, I wanted to see them all.
certain hang likes observe positive
I'm the kind of person who likes to hang out and observe what's going on in the streets, or in certain places. I used to do that a lot. But having to become an international superstar, I can't do that comfortably! But it's all positive, you know.
fly learn money opportunity regret time
I regret I didn't ever learn how to fly a plane. I had the opportunity when I started to make some money, and I regret I didn't really take the time out and put the effort in and do that.
born create establish helped music represent
The music that I represent and helped to create and establish was born in Jamaica.