Rebirth

Jimmy Cliff, born James Chambers on 30 July 1944, has died at 81. His wife confirmed that he passed away on 24 November 2025 in hospital after complications from pneumonia. His death brings to a close a career unmatched in scope and significance across Jamaican music. At the time of his passing, Cliff was the only living reggae artist to hold the Order of Merit, which remains one of the highest honours granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences.

Leslie Kong's name rarely appears on the marquee, but his fingerprints are all over the songs that made Jamaica's music a global language. A Chinese-Jamaican businessman who began life running an ice-cream parlour, a restaurant and a record shop on Orange Street in Kingston, Kong turned a chance audition outside his shop into Beverley's Records and effectively launched modern reggae. His label and production work took ska and rocksteady, polished them, and helped shape early reggae into an exportable sound that found listeners from London to New York.

77-year old Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff has a new song ‘Human Touch’.

Bluesfest acts The Gipsy Kings, David Gray, Jimmy Cliff, Jake Shimabukuro, Michael Franti, The Beat, Mavis Staples and Angelique Kidjo will perform sideshows around Australia.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Jimmy Cliff will be on the road this September with his Many Rivers Crossed Tour.

Harry Nilsson was one of the most enigmatic artists of the rock era. Unassuming, he called all four Beatles, Randy Newman, Keith Moon and Jimmy Webb his friends and was one of the only artists to attain mainstream success without performing live or touring.

Music photographer Ian Laidlaw covered Bluesfest for Noise11 and captured the moment for the artists as they performed at Australia’s most loved music festival.