Jimmy Cliff is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. Jimmy Cliff began writing songs while still at primary school in St. James, listening to a neighbour`s sound system. In 1962 his father took him to Kingston to go to Kingston Technical school.

Jimmy Cliff sought out many producers while still going to school, trying to get his songs recorded without success. He also entered talent contests. "One night I was walking past a record store and restaurant as they were closing, pushed myself in and convinced one of them, Leslie Kong, to go into the recording business, starting with me," he writes in his own website.

After two singles that failed to make much impression, his career took off when his "Hurricane Hattie" became a hit, while Jimmy Cliff was aged 14. It was produced by Kong, with whom he remained until Kong`s death from a heart attack in 1971.