Jimmy Cliff  by Jimmy Cliff

In 1969, the Jamaican Jimmy Cliff released the album that carries his artistic name, as his real name was James Chambers. The Jimmy Cliff album is the first through which the artist found success beyond his homeland's borders. The song "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" and its single immediately became a hit, and when the album was released in the U.S. the following year, it lent its title to the American release of the record to attract buyers.

Besides the aforementioned song, the Jimmy Cliff album includes songs like "Many Rivers To Cross," "Sufferin' In The Land," and "Vietnam," songs that accompanied Cliff throughout his career. The first edition and release of the album were made by Trojan Records, while the American release was by A&M Records. Nine of the eleven songs on the album are his own compositions, and in this way, he established his name as a composer. The other two - "Use What I Got" and "My Ancestors" - are compositions by Jimmy Holiday and Demetriss Tapp, respectively.

The Jimmy Cliff album played a significant role in the spread of reggae music around the world in the following years.