TOOTS and THE MAYTALS
In Depth - Bio on Toots
TOOTS BIO
Toots Hibbert is one of the great voices of Jamaica; a legend whose career spans
every development in Jamaican music, from ska through rock-steady to reggae.
Toots and the Maytals have helped to chart the course of Jamaican music with
unrivaled delivery and dynamism, setting new standards of excellence, and
becoming the most enduring of all Jamaica's groups.
Born in Maypen in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica - the youngest of seven
children - Toots began singing in the church choir at the age of seven. He left
home in his teens to go to Kingston where he met Raleigh Gordon and Jerry
Matthias and formed the original Maytals in 1962. They were also sometimes
recorded as the Vikings.
The Maytals began their career at Studio One, the headquarters of Clement
'Coxsone' Dodd, in Kingston, Jamaica. The group's debut release, HALLELUJAH,
was an immediate hit throughout the island, and featured a mix of Jamaican
rhythms and gospel vocal influence that would mark much of the Maytals music.
Further successes followed, including I'LL NEVER GROW OLD and JUST GOT TO BE
ME, each one building a reputation for the Maytals and their energetic
straight-from-church style of singing and their "spiritual" ska beat.
Despite the initial successes, the group soon left Coxsone and linked up with
another legendary figure in the Jamaican music business, Prince Buster, the
number one sound system operator on the island. The Buster-produced Maytals
singles were popular successes in Jamaica and England, where this new type of
"ska" music became a sensation in dancehalls. The relationship between Buster
and The Maytals produced some of the best records from the original ska era,
including DOG WAR, aka BROADWAY JUNGLE.
In 1966, the Maytals began to work with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires and won
the first Jamaican Festival Song Competition with the song BAM BAM. The Maytals
were poised for stardom, but just as their fortune seemed set, Toots was
arrested for possession of marijuana and was incarcerated for 18 months,
despite his plea of innocence.
The Maytals returned with a vengeance in 1968, recording with famed producer
Leslie Kong. The era of ska was ending, giving way to the more complex sounds
of Reggae evolving from Kong's Beverleys Label. Although these years of
post-independence marked a more violent era of Jamaica's history, Toots and the
Maytals were far closer to soul and gospel influences than many of the
"revolutionary" young artistes of the late 60's. Nevertheless, the Maytals
first single in two years, 54-46 (THAT'S MY NUMBER), combined the story of
Toots' arrest with a powerful downbeat to create one of the greatest rock
steady/reggae singles of all time.
As rock steady became reggae (and the Maytals single DO THE REGGAY was the first
published use of the word), the Maytals consolidated their position as leaders
in Jamaican music. They recorded the hit MONKEY MAN and the classic SWEET AND
DANDY which won the 1969 Festival Song Competition and was featured, along with
their dance-floor smash, PRESSURE DROP, on the soundtrack to THE HARDER THEY
COME, one of the great reggae albums of all time.
The Beverley's label folded, however, with the passing of Leslie Kong in 1971.
The Maytals turned again to Byron Lee and his Dynamic Sounds, and again won the
Festival Song prize in 1972 for POMP AND PRIDE. They released their first album
for Dynamic, FUNKY KINGSTON in 1973-- a masterful album in every respect and
one that helped bolster the group's international audience- now considered a
classic staple for any reggae collection.
In 1975 Toots and the Maytals signed a worldwide recording contract with Island
Records. The following year the group hit the British singles charts with
REGGAE GOT SOUL, the title track to their new album. They also toured America,
Europe and Britain. The REGGAE GOT SOUL album was a superb showcase for Toots'
soulful vocals embellished by fine musicianship from a cosmopolitan studio band
that included such talents as Steve Winwood, Eddie Quansah, Dudu Pukwana, Rico
Rodriguez and Tommy McCook.
Constant touring showed audiences what Jamaicans had known for over a decade -
that Toots and the Maytals were simply one of the greatest live acts in the
world. Their popularity increased throughout the 70's with such popular
releases as PASS THE PIPE (1978), IN THE DARK (1979), JUST LIKE THAT (1980),
KNOCK OUT (1982). IN THE DARK, which included the songs TIME TOUGH and TAKE ME
HOME COUNTRY ROADS was internationally acclaimed, and BEAUTIFUL WOMAN from the
KNOCKOUT album was an international hit. The world's audiences were able to
hear Toots and the Maytals fuse reggae, soul, gospel and even country, into a
dynamic original combination.
On September 29, 1980, Toots and The Maytals made history when the band played
at London's Hammersmith Palais. Less than 24 hours later, a live album from
that show was on sale in record stores throughout Britain. It was the fastest
live album in recording history and, according to some critics, TOOTS LIVE
ranks alongside Bob Marley Live At The Lyceum, James Brown At The Apollo and
Otis Redding in Europe as one of the finest live records ever made.
After disbanding the Maytals in the early 80's, Toots began recording with Sly
Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. The combination produced SPIRITUAL HEALING -- a
chart success around the world, even reaching number one in South Africa and
another hit, PEACE PERFECT PEACE. The popular and critically acclaimed TOOTS IN
MEMPHIS (1988) followed, featuring Toots covering Stax classics in his own
inimitable way.
Toots reformed the Maytals and picked up the touring pace again in the early
90's. The group released RECOUP (1997), and the Grammy-nominated SKAFATHER
(1998) - featuring new re-cuts of older material with a few new tracks
included. Toots and the Maytals have been nominated three times for Grammy
Awards - the other nominations were for TOOTS IN MEMPHIS and TOOTS LIVE. The
Maytals also hold the record for the largest number of number one hits in
Jamaica, with 31 to their credit. They are the only Jamaican group that has
both sides of one of their records become number one on both Hit Parades (DADDY
and IT'S YOU).
The 2002 release, WORLD IS TURNING, on Toots' own D & F label, was the first
album of all new material to be released in two decades. The album contains
songs that were works in progress over a long period between 1973 and 2002, and
features refreshing originals with a wide variety of styles and influences,
including rocksteady, reggae roots, funky r&b, rave disco, and gospel. The
15-song album includes only one re-cut, a hot new version of the roots-reggae
FEEL FREE, with a brilliant cameo from the Messenger, Luciano.
The latest album, TRUE LOVE, finds Toots and the Maytals revisiting some of the
band's most classic works with a host of musical friends onboard - Keith
Richards, Shaggy and Rahzel, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, No Doubt,
Marcia Griffiths, Ken Boothe, Ryan Adams, Bootsy Collins and the Roots, Eric
Clapton, Jeff Beck, Terry Hall and the Skatalites and Trey Anastasio - for
delightful fresh-ear journey through Toots' musical history. Add in the
surprise tracks- Willie Nelson and Toots groovin' on Willie's STILL IS STILL
MOVIN TO ME, Rachel Yamagata pleading on the newer BLAME ON ME and Bunny
Wailer's vocal comradery on the never-before released TAKE A TRIP for an
unparalleled reggae joy ride.
Indeed Toots and the Maytals artistry spans every phase of Jamaican music's
evolution, earning him the reputation as one of Jamaica's most consistent and
inspired performers, and one of the greatest reggae/r&b singers of all
time. Generations of fans - old and new- are discovering that Toots and the
Maytals were - and are - masters of reggae and the live performance. The
combination of great reggae rhythms, heartfelt vocals, and soulful gospel
influence remains potent and powerful --probably the most cohesive mix of
reggae and soul music ever, and still going strong.
Three Grammy Nominations:
Skafather, Toots in Memphis, Toots Live
One Grammy Win- Best Reggae Album 2004
Three First Place Festival Songs (and two second places), including the first
year of the contest 1966 BamBam, Sweet and Dandy, Pomp and Pride
Record Holder for number one Hit Parade Songs in Jamaica (31)
Record for having two number one songs on one 45 release in Jamaica. (Daddy/
Its you)
Guiness World Record for shortest time between the recording and release of a
live album-
TOOTS LIVE at the Hammersmith Palais
***Gold, and number one in various countries for :
Knock Out album (Beautiful Woman number one in Australia/album gold in New
Zealand)
Toots in Memphis album
Spiritual Healing 12" (South Africa)
(***still researching, uncertain how many gold and possibly platinum)
The Harder Thay Come - one of Vanity Fair's Top 10 Best Soundtracks of all time-
contains 2 tracks from Toots and the Maytals, who were also featured in the
film.
LIVE SHOW DOWNLOADS!! CLICK HERE
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