The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced its 2010 class in January: ABBA, Genesis, the Hollies, the Stooges — and Jimmy Cliff, the archived Rock Hall announcement records. The ceremony took place on 15 March 2010 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The New York Times noted that Cliff, like most of that year’s class, had a career stretching back to the 1960s — a belated admission for an artist who had brought reggae to international audiences through The Harder They Come decades before Bob Marley’s mainstream crossover.

Second after Marley

Cliff is the second reggae artist inducted after Bob Marley, NPR observed in an interview the following week — though Cliff had, in NPR’s words, “actually preceded Marley in bringing reggae to the international stage.” Wyclef Jean inducted him, calling Cliff “the godfather” and saying that seeing Cliff on screen made Caribbean youth believe they could follow: “When I saw Jimmy Cliff, I could see my face,” Jean told the audience, as Rolling Stone India reported.

The performance

Cliff was, by general agreement, the evening’s standout performer. He opened with “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” then sang “Many Rivers to Cross” and “The Harder They Come,” the Jamaica Observer recounted — hitting the high notes bandleader Paul Shaffer had assumed would need lowering. Cliff told the Caribbean press he accepted the award on behalf of Jamaica, Africa, the Caribbean and South America, and declared the induction “the final act of phase one” before a rebirth he could already feel coming. Within two years that rebirth would take shape as Rebirth.

Why it matters

The Hall cemented what Jamaican honours had already acknowledged: Cliff was not a footnote to Marley but a pioneer in his own right — actor, songwriter and singer whose film and catalogue opened the door reggae walked through. The induction set the stage for the Grammy, the festival circuit and the humanitarian work of his final active decade.

Listen and dig deeper

Sources: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — 2010 inductees announcement; The New York Times — “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts New Members” (March 16, 2010); NPR — “Talking With Jimmy Cliff, Shepherd Of Reggae Music” (March 19, 2010); Jamaica Observer — “Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff ready for phase two” (March 20, 2010).

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.