Toots and the Maytals

Toots and the Maytals

Performing at the Summer Sundae festival, Leicester, August 2011
Background information
Origin Jamaica
Genres Ska
Rocksteady
Reggae
Years active 1962–early 1980s
early 1990s–present
Labels Beverley's
Trojan
V2
Mango
Website www.tootsandthemaytals.net
Members Frederick "Toots" Hibbert
Paul Douglas
Carl Harvey
Jackie Jackson
Leba Thomas
Marie "Twiggi" Gitten
Norris Webb
Charles Farquarson
Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan
Andy Bassford
Past members Henry "Raleigh" Gordon
Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias
Hux Brown
Harold Butler
Michelle Eugene
Winston Wright
Winston Grennan

Toots and the Maytals, originally called The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and rock steady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. Frontman Toots Hibbert's soulful vocal style has been compared to Otis Redding, and led him to be named one of the 100 Greatest Singers by Rolling Stone.[1] Their 1968 single "Do the Reggay", was the first song to first use the word "reggae", naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience.[2][3]

Career

Formation and early success

Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the frontman of the group, was born in May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica, in 1945, the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir and moved to Kingston in the late 1950s.[4] In Kingston,

The Maytals

First generation of the band Toots and the Maytals to include instrumentalists. The line-up included its four main additional members Jackie Jackson, Paul Douglas, Hux Brown and Radcliffe “Dougie” Bryan.

Hibbert met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Mathias in Kingston in 1962 and formed "The Maytals" as a vocal trio, a group whose early recordings were incorrectly attributed to "The Flames" and "The Vikings" in the UK by Island Records.[4] The first instrumentalist members added to the group included Jackie Jackson, Hux Brown, Rad Bryan and Paul Douglas.[5] The group changed its name from "the Maytals" to "Toots and the Maytals",[6] with "Toots" referring to frontman Toots Hibbert, and "The Maytals" referring to the group’s instrumentalists and background vocalists. In November 2016, Jackie Jackson described the formation of the group in a radio interview for Kool 97 FM Jamaica.[7] Accompanied by Paul Douglas and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan in studio, Jackson explained,

“We’re all original members of Toots and the Maytals band. First it was Toots and the Maytals, three guys: Toots, Raleigh, and Jerry. …And then they were signed to Island Records, Chris Blackwell. And we were their recording band. One day we were summoned to Chris’ house. And he says, “Alright gentleman, I think it’s time. This Toots and the Maytals looks like it’s going to be a big thing”. By this time he had already signed Bob (Marley). So in his camp, Island Records, there was Toots and the Maytals / Bob Marley; we were talking about reggae is going international now. We kept on meeting and he (Blackwell) decided that the backing band that back all of the songs, the recording band, should be the Maytals band. So everything came under Toots and the Maytals. So we became Maytals also. And then we hit the road in 1975...we were the opening act for the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and Jackson Browne. We were the opening act for The Who for about two weeks.”[7]

The 1960s

The Maytals first had chart success recording for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One.[4] With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the 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 1966.[8] With Lee, the Maytals won the first-ever Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition with their original song "Bam Bam" (later covered in a Dancehall style by Sister Nancy, and also by Yellowman in 1982).[4][8][9] The group's musical career was interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was jailed for 18 months for possession of marijuana.[4][8] He stated that he was not arrested for ganja, but while bailing a friend.[10] Hibbert reportedly wrote "54-46 That's My Number" about his time in jail.[11]

Following Hibbert's release in 1967, the Maytals began working with the Chinese Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which yielded a string of hits throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s.[8] These included "Do the Reggay", released in 1968, which was the first song to first use the word "reggae" and gave the developing genre its name.[2]

Reggae is listed in the dictionary as:[12]

reggae [reg-ey] (noun) - a style of Jamaican popular music blending blues, calypso, and rock-'n'-roll, characterized by a strong syncopated rhythm and lyrics of social protest. Origin of reggae: Jamaican English, respelling of reggay (introduced in the song “Do the Reggay” (1968) by Frederick “Toots” Hibbert)[12]

The Maytals are responsible for some of the biggest hits in reggae history, including "Pressure Drop," "Sweet And Dandy" and "54-46 (That's My Number)," the winner of the 1969 Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition.[2]

The 1970s

In 1970 "Monkey Man", became the group's first international hit. By 1971, they signed a recording contract with Chris Blackwell's Island Records, become the biggest act on the island, and had become international stars.[8]

In 1972 the group won the Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition for a third time with "Pomps and Pride".[4] The group was also featured twice in the soundtrack to The Harder They Come, the 1972 film starring Jimmy Cliff, named as one of Vanity Fairs Top 10 soundtracks of all time.[4]

After Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warrick Lyn. Their re-instated producer Byron Lee renamed them Toots & the Maytals.[8] The group released three best-selling albums produced by Lyn and Blackwell of Island Records, and enjoyed international hits with Funky Kingston in 1973 and Reggae Got Soul in 1975. Music critic Lester Bangs described the album Funky Kingston in Stereo Review as “perfection, the most exciting and diversified set of reggae tunes by a single artist yet released.[13]” Chris Blackwell had a strong commitment to Toots and the Maytals, saying “I’ve known Toots longer than anybody – much longer than Bob (Bob Marley). Toots is one of the purest human beings I’ve met in my life, pure almost to a fault.[14]”

On 1 October 1975, Toots and the Maytals were broadcast live on KMET-FM as they performed at the The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. This broadcast was re-mastered and released as an album entitled “Sailin’ On” via Klondike Records.[15]

Following the release of Reggae Got Soul, Toots & the Maytals were invited to tour as the opening act for the Who during their 1975-76 North American tour.[16]

Toots and the Maytals' compositions experienced a resurgence of popularity in 1978-80 during the reggae punk and ska revival period in the UK, when the Specials covered "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and the Clash covered the group's hit "Pressure Drop". During this period Toots and the Maytals were also included in the lyrics to Bob Marley & 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".

The 1980s

Guinness Book of World Records

On 29 September 1980, the band recorded, pressed and distributed a new album (Toots Live) to the record shops all in the space of 24 hours in an attempt to make the Guinness Book of World Records.[4] A live concert was recorded on reels of 2-inch, 24-track analog tape, then rushed by van to sound engineers. After a running order was determined, the record label was quickly designed and sent to the printers. The album masters, labels and the outer covers were then separately sped to the Gedmel factory near Leicester, and the finished product was assembled and delivered to Coventry, where the band was playing the next day, successfully meeting the 24-hour deadline. Due to record label oversight, the achievement was not successfully registered with the Guinness Book of World Records. Island Records' Rob Bell was quoted as saying, "Unfortunately, the record was not included in the Guinness book, because they required prior notification that the event was going to take place, and no one at Island had informed them of the project!"[17] The record for "fastest album release" was not officially held in the Guinness Book of World Records until 28 years later when Vollgas Kompanie claimed the honor in 2008 for recording and releasing their album "Live" in 24 hours - matching the time interval in which Toots and the Maytals recorded, pressed and distributedToots Live in 1980.[18]

The group split up after releasing the 1981 album Knockout.[4] In 1982, Toots & the Maytals' "Beautiful Woman", reached number one in New Zealand.[8]

Hibbert continued to record as a solo artist throughout the 1980s.

1990s

In the early 1990s a new lineup of the Maytals was formed and the group continued touring and recording successfully, with two appearances at Reggae Sunsplash in the mid-1990s.[4][8]

2000s

Toots and the Maytals with Ronnie Wood (The Rolling Stones)

In 2004, the group released True Love, an album of re-recorded versions of their earlier hits in collaboration with fellow musicians including Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Trey Anastasio, No Doubt, Ben Harper, the Roots, and Shaggy. The True Love album won the Grammy Award that year for best reggae album.

In 2006, they recorded a reggae/ska version of Radiohead's "Let Down" for the tribute album, Radiodread. The album was a song for song makeover of the English rock band's album OK Computer into reggae, dub and ska. In August 2007 Toots & the Maytals released Light Your Light, which featured re-workings of older songs such as "Johnny Cool Man", as well as new material. The album was nominated in 2008 for a Grammy in the best reggae album category.

Toots & the Maytals hold the current record of number one hits in Jamaica, with a total of thirty-one.[19]

In March 2009 it was announced that Toots & the Maytals would be performing alongside Amy Winehouse, for their shared record label Island Records' 50th anniversary. Winehouse had covered the band's "Monkey Man", and the act were supposed to perform with her at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London on 31 May 2009.[20] However, Winehouse's performance was cancelled, and Toots & the Maytals instead played at the more intimate Bush Hall to a sell-out crowd.

2010s

The 2012 live album Unplugged on Strawberry Hill gained Hibbert his fifth Grammy nomination.[21]

I continue to suffer from extreme anxiety, memory loss, headaches, dizziness and most sadly of all, a fear of crowds and performing. I am not able to write songs as I did before or remember the lyrics of songs that I wrote and have performed for decades.

Hibbert's letter to judge

In May 2013, Hibbert was struck in the head with a 1.75-liter vodka bottle while performing onstage at a Richmond, Virginia, festival. His injuries resulted in a concussion and treatment required six staples in his head. After the injury, the singer canceled all subsequent performances, citing fear of his audience and no longer feeling safe performing.[22]

In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[23] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.[24]

Toots and the Maytals have been cited as inspiration for other music artists when it comes to career longevity. Jamaican artist Sean Paul explains this by saying, “I’ve seen some great people in my industry, you know, people like Toots…Toots and the Maytals. Toots he’s a great reggae artist and he’s still doing it…He’s up there in years and he’s doing it. Those kind of artists inspire me. I know I’m just going to keep on doing music as long as I can.”[25]

Awards, Recognition and Accolades

Discography

Studio albums

Selected live albums

Selected compilation albums

Other contributions

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "100 Greatest Singers". Rolling Stone. December 2, 2010. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
  2. 1 2 3 "Frederick "Toots" Hibbert Biography". biography.com. Retrieved 2016-07-02.
  3. ↑ "reggae". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, pp. 178–181
  5. ↑ Sherman, Matthew. "The Rise of Reggae and the Influence of Toots and the Maytals." The Rise of Reggae, and the Influence of Toots and the Maytals. The Dread Library, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/sherman.html
  6. ↑ "The Maytals: Artist Biography: AllMusic: Jo-Ann Greene". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-11-06.
  7. 1 2 Mikey T interview with Jackie Jackson, Paul Douglas, and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan. Kool 97 FM. kool97fm.com. November 27, 2016. <http://www.kool97fm.com> Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mark Deming. "Toots & the Maytals | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  9. ↑ "The Festival Song Winners 1966 - 2005". The Jamaican Cultural Development Commission. 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  10. ↑ "Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae: Amazon.co.uk: David Katz: Books". Amazon.co.uk. p. 90. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  11. ↑ "Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae: Amazon.co.uk: David Katz: Books". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  12. 1 2 "reggae". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 24 Oct. 2016. <Dictionary.com http://www.dictionary.com/browse/reggae>.
  13. ↑ "Toots and the Maytals." Contemporary Musicians. . Encyclopedia.com. 6 Oct. 2016 <http://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/toots-and-maytals>.
  14. ↑ Katz, David. "Toots and the Maytals’ Live: From Stage to Wax in 24 Hours." Red Bull Music Academy. Red Bull Music Academy, 19 June 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2016. http://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2013/06/toots-and-the-maytals-live-album
  15. ↑ Toots and the Maytals (1975) Sailin’ On. Obiterdictum. Web. Retrieved 15 November 2016. <http://www.odmcy.com/catalog/index.php/catalogue/23-klondike-cds/211-toots-and-the-maytals-sailin-on-live-at-the-roxy-theater-la-1975-cd>
  16. ↑ "Toots & The Maytals". Concord Music Group. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  17. ↑ Mojo Magazine, September 2012, pp. 32-33
  18. ↑ "Fastest album release". guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  19. 1 2 "About The Performer: Toots And The Maytals". laphil.com. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  20. ↑ "Buy Island Records Tickets for All 2014 UK Tour Dates and Concerts". allgigs.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  21. ↑ "Toots celebrates Grammy nod - Entertainment". JamaicaObserver.com. 2012-12-07. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  22. ↑ "Man gets jail time despite "Toots" Hibbert's plea - Richmond Times-Dispatch". Timesdispatch.com. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2015-10-14.
  23. ↑ "Toots And The Maytals Announce First Tour In 3 Years". jambase.com. 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  24. ↑ "Toots and the Maytals Return with First Tour in Three Years". jambands.com. 2016-04-12. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
  25. ↑ “Sean Paul”. The Breakfast Club. Nov 21, 2016. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAXhwLm3d60> Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Maytals Find Good Vibes in the Memphis Roots of Reggae". Los Angeles Times. 1989-01-25. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  27. ↑ "TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS". artistsonly.com. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  28. ↑ . grammy.com https://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=toots&field_nominee_work_value=&year=All&genre=All. Retrieved 2016-06-30. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. ↑ "Toots celebrates Grammy nod". Jamaica Observer. 2012-12-07. Retrieved 2016-06-30.

External links


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