RIP Jimmy Cliff

[Drunk Monk]

I don’t know how many times I saw him. I even followed his tour up the coast to OR once (he opened for the Dead) and saw him duet with Jerry at the Greek. A true legend of Reggae.

[Greg]

Yep. Saw the notice elsewhere and thought of you.

[King Bob]

Somehow I saw no notice of this at all.

[Drunk Monk]

My socials are dominated by this, plus I got a few friends texting me. We've been reflecting on the last time we saw him. It was 2014 for me I think, at RotR. He was at SNWMF in 2015, but I missed his set because I was working.

[King Bob]

Oddly, I think the only time I saw him was with Jerry at the Greek. At least that I can remember.

[Drunk Monk]

Oddly, I think the only time I saw him was with Jerry at the Greek. At least that I can remember.

That was a good one. 

Below are my mentions of JC here, to jog my memory. I saw him a lot more before the D00M4M arose, once thrice in 1 week in '88 - Santa Cruz (which I thought was with KB), San Jose (which I think was with Jennifer Bailey) and Eugene OR, which was with a carload of Deadheads whose names I don't quite remember anymore. I think I still have the T-shirt, which I shall attempt to recover tomorrow night. 

Reggae On The River: The Magical Years
by Steve Heilig, May 15, 20199 Comments
1992: One of the years where one after another, artists who would be headliners anywhere else took the stage one after the other - Toots and the Maytaks, Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear, and for good measure, Zimbabwean legend Thomas Mapfumo.

But it was fairly constant, especially on Saturday night, costing Dm Jimmy Cliff's act, but that was alright as there are a few JNK that are really into Cliff, and DM has seen him a bazillion times, so Dm was happy to work so they could see him.  

I just saw Jimmy Cliff at RotR30.  

Jimmy Cliff: He played a lot of classics, which is all we really want.  He updated one of my fav tunes, Vietnam, to Afghanistan, which totally worked.  He’s still got it – that inspiring castrati voice, and righteous lyrics.  

Saw LKJ and Jimmy Cliff.  LKJ was ok.  Jimmy is still great, still Jimmy.  Someone told me he was 78, which I repeated without checking, but he is in fact, 64.  

[Drunk Monk]

I found my '88 Jimmy Cliff Hanging Fire tour shirt from when I saw him 3x in one week. It was right where I thought I had stored it, reinforcing my T-shirt addiction. It still fits and is in great shape. I wore it at FXSF>ChinaCats but there's no way it would stand out at FXSF next to all the stellar cosplay and it was dark at the Woodhouse so no one could see it. But it'll be banging at the next dancehall...

[Drunk Monk]

Jamaica - Jimmy Cliff official funeral December 17

The official funeral service for late reggae singer, Jimmy Cliff, will take place next week Wednesday, December 17, at the National Indoor Sports Centre beginning at 10 a.m.
Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, made the announcement today.
Jimmy Cliff passed away on November 24, at the age of 81.
Grange said that Cliff is being accorded an official funeral by the Government “for his immense contribution to Jamaican Culture and Entertainment".
The arrangements are being finalised by the Office of the Prime Minister in consultation with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the family of the acclaimed musician, singer and actor who was born James Chambers in 1944.
Minister Grange said the service at the National Indoor Centre would “provide an opportunity for the country to bid farewell to an outstanding son of Jamaica; an icon".
The minister said the service would feature only spoken word, dance and music in keeping with Jimmy Cliff’s wishes.

[Drunk Monk]

Thousands turn out to pay tribute to beloved reggae star Jimmy Cliff at Kingston memorial service
By AP
 Last updated: 18/12 - 10:16
JAMAICA
Prime Minister Andrew Holness leads the tributes as thousands turn out in Kingston to pay their respects to Jamaican reggae star Jimmy Cliff.
The instructions on Wednesday were clear: no serious, sad or long faces. And the crowd filing into a gymnasium in Jamaica's capital largely obliged as they honoured reggae giant Jimmy Cliff.
"Jimmy didn't want a sad or somber occasion," said Olivia Grange, Jamaica's culture minister. "He gave so much of his life to delivering music."
The charismatic Jamaican artist known for classics including "Many Rivers to Cross," and his role in the landmark movie, "The Harder They Come," died last month at 81 years old. Nearly a month later, many around the world were still in mourning and paying their respects.
Among them was 84-year-old Purcell Johnson, who said she attended Somerton Elementary School with Cliff.
"I had to be here," she said of his tribute Wednesday in his native Jamaica, her face beaming. "We used to play while attending school and on our way home. I am proud of him. He has done well."
Johnson recalled how Cliff was jovial and used to tease her and call her "Little Tuku" because she was short as a child.
A messenger from Jamaica
Sadness mixed with pride at Wednesday's tribute, where official speeches were punctuated with dances, live music and interview excerpts of Cliff sitting by a mixing board.
Songs including "Bongo Man," "Many Rivers to Cross," and "Wonderful World, Beautiful People," filled the gymnasium throughout the ceremony. It was broadcast live, drawing in thousands of viewers from New York to the United Kingdom and incorporating video messages from artists ranging from Shaggy to Sting.
"We pause to honour a man whose voice, music and spirit carried his nation far beyond its shores long before the world truly knew our name," said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
He noted that Cliff was more than a singer, songwriter, actor and performer.
"Jimmy Cliff was a messenger, one who carried the story of this small island, its struggles, resilience, faith and beauty to the widest possible audience and ensured that Jamaica was heard, recognised and respected," Holness said.
He added that Cliff's message is that hope remains possible despite hardship: "Jimmy Cliff didn't merely entertain the world. Jimmy Cliff uplifted the world."

Musician Jimmy Cliff talks to the media in the press room at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Monday, March 15, 2010 in New York. AP Photo

A daunting eulogy
Those present at Wednesday's tribute said Cliff lived what he preached.
Terry Ann Hamilton Stewart, 38, who paid her respects as she breastfed her three-year-old son, recalled that Cliff used to give her lunch money when she went to his recording studio in Kingston.
"Jimmy is a legend. He used to tell me to study my lesson," said the former Queen's High School graduate, who is from Rose Gardens in Kingston, a community marked by violence.
Another admirer, Carlton Darby, dressed in leopard print regalia and a crown representing the Pokomo Tribe in Kenya, described Cliff as a pioneer who laid the foundation for reggae music.
"He was there even before Bob Marley, and I'm here to pay my respects," he said.
Among those invited to speak at the tribute was Justine Henzell, daughter of movie director Perry Henzell, who directed "The Harder They Come."
She noted that Cliff was always part of her world.
"It is daunting to eulogise a man who had so many facets to his life," she said.
While Cliff was known as the "original rude boy," Henzell said, "the man I knew, I never heard raise his voice or lose his cool."
Cliff's widow, children and other relatives also took to the stage to remember him.
His brother, Victor Chambers, said he was fortunate to have traveled with Cliff "and see so many lives touched by him."
While on stage, he read out the names of Cliff's 19 children who were in the audience.
"Please know that you are not alone," Chambers said. "You carry your father's spirit, strength and love with you always. May you find comfort knowing how deeply he was loved."