jimmy cliff (born james chambers; 30 july 1944) is a jamaican ska and reggae musician, singer and actor. he is best known for his songs "wonderful world, beautiful people", "many rivers to cross", "you can get it if you really want", "the harder they come", "reggae night" and "hakuna matata". he is also well known for his covers of cat stevens' "wild world" and johnny nash's "i can see clearly now" from the movie "cool runnings" (1993). he also appeared in the movies "the harder they come" (1972) and "club paradise" (1986).