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Writer's pictureThe Sound Cafe

Global Reggae Pioneer Jimmy Cliff Releases Acoustic Music Video For 'Human Touch'


Photo Credit: Vision Addict.



World-renowned musician, actor, singer, songwriter, producer, humanitarian, and global music legend Jimmy Cliff releases a heart-felt acoustic music video for his latest single, “Human Touch.” The GRAMMY Award winning artist offers the new visual in time to celebrate February’s Black History Month.

“Human Touch” was first released in 2021 on August 6th, Jamaican Independence Day. The song was written by Jimmy while in Japan on a tour stop as he was feeling the distance from friends and family back home, due in large part, to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. As one of the last surviving members of the great generation of Reggae pioneers who have since passed (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Toots Hibbert), he helped bring the genre to all corners of the globe and helped it gain worldwide popularity. Jimmy Cliff’s impact on music and culture is inescapable. He received Jamaica’s highest honour “The Order of Merit” and was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. His critically acclaimed album Rebirth was awarded the GRAMMY Award for “Best Reggae Album” and was selected as one of Rolling Stone’s “50 Best Albums of 2012.”

Immortal anthems including “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “The Harder They Come,” and many of his other singles such as “Wild World,” “Hakuna Matata" (with Lebo M.) have had chart success across the globe including Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, U.K. and New Zealand.

Everyone from Annie Lennox to Paul Simon has sought him out for collaborations, while Bruce Springsteen, Willie Nelson, New Order, and Fiona Apple have recorded notable covers. Springsteen’s “Trapped” was included on the We Are The World benefit album. Bob Dylan announced Cliff’s track “Vietnam,” “the greatest protest song ever written.” A distinctive screen presence, he had a starring role in the film and on the soundtrack for the 1972 classic The Harder They Come, which drew an international spotlight on reggae. His career in film includes his wonderful version of “I Can See Clearly Now,” from the ‘Cool Runnings’ soundtrack and his other film appearances include Club Paradise, Muscle Shoals, Marked For Death, and more.

This July will be a month of celebration for Jimmy Cliff, marking the 50th anniversary of the acclaimed film and soundtrack, The Harder They Come, which had Cliff acting and starring in the lead role. In 2011, The Los Angeles Times credited the film to having “brought reggae to the world.”







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