Vancar

Jimmy Cliff is a gentle soul — that’s always come through in his songs and in the lilt in his voice. His most legendary songs appeared in the 1972 film The Harder They Come and its soundtrack; start with “Many Rivers to Cross” and you’ll feel the heart, soul and wisdom of Jimmy Cliff.

Cliff starred in The Harder They Come as a reggae artist trying to make it in the music business, and the songs he sings — including “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “Sitting in Limbo” (both of which he performs in this Tiny Desk Concert) and “The Harder They Come” — never died. They’re part of the soundtrack to a generation, but their reach extends beyond that. The Harder They Come put reggae on the map in the early ’70s and became both an antidote and a guiding spirit to the punk and new wave music that would come a few years later.

via NPR music