Reggae pioneer Jimmy Cliff: ‘In England we had to fight to get any kind of recognition’

The musician on his early struggles in London, the enduring appeal of his song Many Rivers to Cross, auditioning Bob Marley, and the problem with Jamaican independenceOne of the great pioneers of reggae, Jimmy Cliff was born in Jamaica in 1944 as James Chambers, and started writing songs while in primary school. He moved to Kingston as a teenager to pursue music and had his first hit at 14 with Hurricane Hattie. After stints in New York and London he returned to Jamaica and played the lead role