Jimmy Cliff Wins Grammy For Best Reggae Album

A 27-year wait is over for legendary Reggae singer, Jimmy Cliff as he has won the Best Reggae Album award at the 2013 Grammy Awards on Sunday.

Having last won the accolade in 1986 for his Cliff Hanger album, Cliff took home the honor during the Grammy pre-show in Los Angeles. His latest project, Rebirth toppled contenders such as Tomahawk Technique (Sean Paul), Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged on Strawberry Hill (Toots and the Maytals), New Legend – Jamaica 50th edition (Sly and Robbie and The Jam Masters) and Miracle (The Original Wailers) for the prestigious award. The singer was not on hand to collect his trophy.

With this win, Cliff becomes the seventh musician to win the Best Reggae Album Grammy multiple times. His Rebirth album peaked at no. 76 on the Billboard charts in the United States while also be named 12th on Rolling Stone magazine’s Top 50 albums for 2012.

Last week, Cliff called on the Recording Academy to give the Reggae Grammy its deserved press by allowing the award’s recipient to accept it on television. He told CBSNews.com, “It's a nice thing to be nominated for a Grammy...However, I do think that people ought to see me on TV, accepting the Grammy. Not the way it is being done at the moment for a reggae Grammy where you just hear about it. It's about time they show me on TV."

Cliff was also the voice behind the soundtrack for the popular, yet controversial Volkswagen advertisement which debuted last month, showcasing a Caucasian businessman speaking Jamaican patois.