I heard Jimmy Cliff first from my older brother in the 1980s. There is so much to say about Jimmy Cliff. He became the voice of Reggae in the 1980s and had a heavy burden to carry but he did really well keeping true to the music over the years. He didn't remain a one hit wonder, but he continued to learn. He took the stage with Bob Marley, but was also on stage with Tim Armstrong of the Clash singing Guns of Brixton.

There was so much Jimmy Cliff accomplished it is very difficult for me to pick only three tunes.

Reggae Man

There are so many classic Jimmy Cliffs i could have started with, but this one is the only one that says "Jimmy" so clear. This is classic reggae like it should be played with the whole band.

This was a young Jimmy Cliff and in the song you can pick up on his guttural utterances. He reminisces on his visit to Ghana and is filled with joy coming to his roots.

No Woman No Cry - Tribute

This was for the 1999 "Bob Marley All-Star Tribute" along the Oracabessa Bay in Jamaica. Here I am relaxed as Erykah Badu and her girls back up Jimmy. They share a common bond at the mic and there is a point where you can almost feel Bob Marley's spirit as they chant prayerfully, "Everything's gonna be alright."

Human Touch

This was a new song Jimmy wrote during pandemic quarantine times. His guitar fits his voice really well. At first it almost sounded like a ukulele. Then looking at the frets and the nylon strings that's some kind of classical guitar reminding me of the first acoustic guitars I practiced on.

So many years passed and Jimmy's still got that touch. At the end Jimmy gives us a philosophical biology lesson. By this point the music has got to touch a nerve.

For people like Jimmy Cliff I can't leave without posting a bonus video.

Bongo Man (Rivers of Babylon)

When Reggae singers talk about Babylon they are not talking about the ancient world. They are talking about the corrupt, oppressive colonial world. They are looking to Zion to escape the grips of Babylon. At some points Jimmy gets close to Zion in his music as he shouts the chant for freedom.

The story here came purely from my feelings listening to these three songs without any assistance from AI. The cover picture was taken with my camera this February. It's the closest recent picture I have of anything remotely Caribbean.

The three tune Tuesday is initiated by @ablaze more than a hundred weeks ago. Check out more Tuesday tunes here.