At the 55th Annual Grammy Awards on 10 February 2013, Jimmy Cliff won Best Reggae Album for Rebirth, the Grammy.com listing confirms — edging out The Original Wailers’ Miracle, Sean Paul’s Tomahawk Technique, Sly and Robbie and the Jam Masters’ New Legend — Jamaica 50th Edition, and Toots and the Maytals’ Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged on Strawberry Hill. The Jamaica Observer noted it was his second Grammy: the first had come in 1986 for Cliff Hanger.

The Armstrong sessions

Rebirth, released in 2012 and produced by Tim Armstrong of punk band Rancid, was a sleeper hit that sold steadily and drew strong notices from major publications, the Observer reported — including placement on Rolling Stone’s list of the fifty best albums of 2012. Cliff had told NPR the previous summer that the title reflected both his career and humanity at large; the album’s return to ska, rocksteady and reggae roots followed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction he had described as the end of “phase one.” A Volkswagen Super Bowl advertisement featuring Cliff further raised his profile in the Grammy season.

Off camera

Cliff’s victory did not air on the televised ceremony — a grievance he voiced to CBS News, quoted in the site’s existing archive coverage: “I do think that people ought to see me on TV accepting the Grammy.” He linked the win to the Hall of Fame induction two years earlier: “That was a stepping stone to push me forward to what’s happening right now.” Grammy.com counts seven career nominations across thirty years — from “Reggae Night” in 1985 through Black Magic in 2005 — with two wins.

Why it matters

Rebirth proved Cliff could matter to a new generation without abandoning the roots he had defended since Beverley’s. The Grammy closed a circle that began with Ivan on screen and reopened on festival stages worldwide — the last major trophy of a career that would continue for another twelve years.

Listen and dig deeper

Sources: Grammy.com — Best Reggae Album 2013; Jamaica Observer — “JIMMY CLIFF wins reggae Grammy” (Feb 10, 2013); Grammy.com — Jimmy Cliff awards history; NPR — “Jimmy Cliff On Career ‘Rebirth’” (Aug 4, 2012).

Editor's note: This entry is part of the JamaicansMusic online museum — a career timeline assembled from the archive. It is dated to the era it documents; every claim is drawn from the linked sources.