Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. Their sound is a unique, original combination of gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group, was born in May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1958 at the age of thirteen.

In Kingston, Hibbert met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming in 1962Thompson, Dave. Reggae and Caribbean Music. Page 178. Backbeat Books, 2002. a group whose early recordings were incorrectly attributed to "The Flames" and "The Vikings" by Island records in the UK. The Maytals first had chart success recording for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured success, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming vocal group, The Wailers. After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster before recording with Byron Lee in 1965. With Lee, the Maytals won their first Jamaica festival popular song with "Bam Bam" JCDC list of festival popular song winners, Accessed October 20, 2007 [1]. However, the group's musical career was interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned. Toots states that he was not arrested for ganja but while bailing a friendInterview with David Katz, Solid Foundation, page 90. Bloomsbuy Press 2003.. He also states that he made up the number 54-46 when writing 54-46 That's My Number about his time in jailSolid Foundation.

Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the Maytals began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies - "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word reggae, "Pressure Drop", "54-46" the 1969 Jamaica festival's popular song winner, "Sweet & Dandy"JCDC and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970 . In 1972 they won their third Jamaica festival popular song with "Pomps & Pride"JCDC. The group was also featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff, named as one of Vanity Fair's Top 10 Best Soundtracks of all time.

Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; the group released three best-selling albums produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, and enjoyed international hits with Funky Kingston in 1973 and Reggae Got Soul in 1975. Following the release of "Reggae Got Soul", Toots & The Maytals were invited to tour as the warm-up act for The Who during their North American Tourhttp://www.concordmusicgroup.com/artists/Toots-The-Maytals/ "Accessed October 21, 2007". The tour went poorly and Toots & The Maytals never went on the success of Bob Marley or Peter Tosh in the UShttp://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/sherman.html.

Toots and the Maytals' compositions would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when The Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and The Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop". They were also included in the Bob Marley and the Wailers song, *Punky Reggae Party". "The Wailers will be there, The Damned, The Jam, The Clash, The Maytals will be there, Dr. Feelgood too".

Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully. Sublime recorded cover versions of some Maytals songs in the 1990s as well.

The group recently won the 2005 Grammy award for best reggae album True Love, an album consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside popular and legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists today such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.

In 2006, they recorded a reggae/ska version of Radiohead's Let Down for the tribute album, Radiodread, by the Easy Star All-Stars. The album is a complete song for song makeover of the English rock band's album OK Computer into reggae, dub and ska. Let Down has been frequently cited by reviewers as one of the successes of the album.

Toot's official Myspace page reported that a follow up to 2004's True Love was being recorded in 2005, due for release in 2006. The album was eventually released on 27 August 2007, and featured re-workings of classics such as "Johnny Cool Man" as well as new material. Light Your Light was nominated for the Grammy in the category Best Reggae Album.

Miscellanea

• Funky Kingston & Pressure Drop are featured on the reggae radio station K-JAH Radio West in popular videogame Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, released in October 2004.
• The song "Time Tough" has featured soundtrack in Tony Hawk's Project 8.
• The Clash's version of Pressure Drop is featured in the Nissan Rogue commercials.
• Manchester-based band Sonic Boom Six sampled "Funky Kingston" on the song "Monkey See, Monkey Do" from their EP "Sounds to Consume".
• TLC's television series Miami Ink features "Funky Kingston" as its theme song.
• The Clash covered the song "Pressure Drop". Izzy Stradlin', former guitarist with Guns N' Roses, recorded a version of the song with his sometime band, the Ju-Ju Hounds.
• The Specials, Reel Big Fish and Amy Winehouse covered "Monkey Man".
• Australian surfer/guitarist Xavier Rudd coverd Famine.
• The film "This Is England"(2007) by Shane Meadows featured the songs Louie Louie, 'Pressure Drop" and "54-46.

LP Discography

• Hallelujah (Jamaica Recording Studios 1966)
• Sweet And Dandy (Beverley's 1969)
• Monkey Man (Beverley's 1970)
• From the Roots (Trojan 1970)
• Funky Kingston (Mango 1973)
• Live at Reggae (Sunsplash Mobile 1975)
• In the Dark (Trojan 1976)
• Reggae Got Soul (Mango 1976)
• Funky Kingston (Trojan 1976)
• Pass the Pipe (Mango 1979)
• Just Like That (Mango 1980)
• Live (Island Records (ILPS 9647) 1980)
• Knock Out! (Mango 1981)
• Hour Live (Genes 1997). Recorded in 1982
• An Hour Live 'Straight from the Yard' (Dedicated to Robert Nesta Marley) (Sus 1990)
• Sensational Ska (Jamaican Gold 1995)
• Ska Father (Alla Son 1998)
• Live in London (Trojan 1999)
• Monkey Man (House Of 1997)
• Bla. Bla. Bla. (Lagoon 1993)
• Never Grow Old (Heartbeat 1997)
• Recoup (Alla Son 1997)
• True Love (V2 2004)
• Roots Reggae (The Early Jamaican Albums) (Trojan 2005), contains 6 CDs
• World Is Turning (XIII Bis 2005)
• Light Your Light (Concord 2007)

References

External links

• Official Toots Website
• Official Toots MySpace
• Comprehensive discography at X-Ray Music
• Lyrics
• Discography at X Ray Music
• Fan Site

Ska groupsFirst-wave ska groupsToots & the MaytalsJamaican musical groupsReggae musical groups

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