Toots And The Maytals

Toots Hibbert is one of the great voices of Jamaica; a legend whose career spansevery development in Jamaican music, from ska through rock-steady to reggae.Toots and the Maytals have helped to chart the course of Jamaican music withunrivaled delivery and dynamism, setting new standards of excellence, andbecoming the most enduring of all Jamaica's groups.

Born in Maypen in the parish of Clarendon, Jamaica - the youngest of sevenchildren - Toots began singing in the church choir at the age of seven. He lefthome in his teens to go to Kingston where he met Raleigh Gordon and JerryMatthias and formed the original Maytals in 1962. They were also sometimesrecorded 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 Jamaicanrhythms 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 BEME, each one building a reputation for the Maytals and their energeticstraight-from-church style of singing and their "spiritual" ska beat.

Despite the initial successes, the group soon left Coxsone and linked up withanother legendary figure in the Jamaican music business, Prince Buster, thenumber one sound system operator on the island. The Buster-produced Maytalssingles were popular successes in Jamaica and England, where this new type of"ska" music became a sensation in dancehalls. The relationship between Busterand 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 wonthe first Jamaican Festival Song Competition with the song BAM BAM. The Maytalswere poised for stardom, but just as their fortune seemed set, Toots wasarrested 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 producerLeslie Kong. The era of ska was ending, giving way to the more complex soundsof Reggae evolving from Kong's Beverleys Label. Although these years ofpost-independence marked a more violent era of Jamaica's history, Toots and theMaytals were far closer to soul and gospel influences than many of the"revolutionary" young artistes of the late 60's. Nevertheless, the Maytalsfirst single in two years, 54-46 (THAT'S MY NUMBER), combined the story ofToots' arrest with a powerful downbeat to create one of the greatest rocksteady/reggae singles of all time.

As rock steady became reggae (and the Maytals single DO THE REGGAY was the firstpublished use of the word), the Maytals consolidated their position as leadersin Jamaican music. They recorded the hit MONKEY MAN and the classic SWEET ANDDANDY which won the 1969 Festival Song Competition and was featured, along withtheir dance-floor smash, PRESSURE DROP, on the soundtrack to THE HARDER THEYCOME, 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 theFestival Song prize in 1972 for POMP AND PRIDE. They released their first albumfor Dynamic, FUNKY KINGSTON in 1973-- a masterful album in every respect andone that helped bolster the group's international audience- now considered aclassic staple for any reggae collection.

In 1975 Toots and the Maytals signed a worldwide recording contract with IslandRecords. The following year the group hit the British singles charts withREGGAE 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 bandthat included such talents as Steve Winwood, Eddie Quansah, Dudu Pukwana, RicoRodriguez 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 theworld. Their popularity increased throughout the 70's with such popularreleases 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 MEHOME COUNTRY ROADS was internationally acclaimed, and BEAUTIFUL WOMAN from theKNOCKOUT album was an international hit. The world's audiences were able tohear Toots and the Maytals fuse reggae, soul, gospel and even country, into adynamic original combination.

On September 29, 1980, Toots and The Maytals made history when the band playedat London's Hammersmith Palais. Less than 24 hours later, a live album fromthat show was on sale in record stores throughout Britain. It was the fastestlive album in recording history and, according to some critics, TOOTS LIVEranks alongside Bob Marley Live At The Lyceum, James Brown At The Apollo andOtis 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 SlyDunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. The combination produced SPIRITUAL HEALING -- achart success around the world, even reaching number one in South Africa andanother hit, PEACE PERFECT PEACE. The popular and critically acclaimed TOOTS INMEMPHIS (1988) followed, featuring Toots covering Stax classics in his owninimitable way.

Toots reformed the Maytals and picked up the touring pace again in the early90's. The group released RECOUP (1997), and the Grammy-nominated SKAFATHER(1998) - featuring new re-cuts of older material with a few new tracksincluded. Toots and the Maytals have been nominated three times for GrammyAwards - the other nominations were for TOOTS IN MEMPHIS and TOOTS LIVE. TheMaytals also hold the record for the largest number of number one hits inJamaica, with 31 to their credit. They are the only Jamaican group that hasboth sides of one of their records become number one on both Hit Parades (DADDYand IT'S YOU).

The 2002 release, WORLD IS TURNING, on Toots' own D & F label, was the firstalbum of all new material to be released in two decades. The album containssongs that were works in progress over a long period between 1973 and 2002, andfeatures refreshing originals with a wide variety of styles and influences,including rocksteady, reggae roots, funky r&b, rave disco, and gospel. The15-song album includes only one re-cut, a hot new version of the roots-reggaeFEEL FREE, with a brilliant cameo from the Messenger, Luciano.

The latest album, TRUE LOVE, finds Toots and the Maytals revisiting some of theband's most classic works with a host of musical friends onboard - KeithRichards, Shaggy and Rahzel, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, No Doubt,Marcia Griffiths, Ken Boothe, Ryan Adams, Bootsy Collins and the Roots, EricClapton, Jeff Beck, Terry Hall and the Skatalites and Trey Anastasio - fordelightful fresh-ear journey through Toots' musical history. Add in thesurprise tracks- Willie Nelson and Toots groovin' on Willie's STILL IS STILLMOVIN TO ME, Rachel Yamagata pleading on the newer BLAME ON ME and BunnyWailer's vocal comradery on the never-before released TAKE A TRIP for anunparalleled reggae joy ride.

Indeed Toots and the Maytals artistry spans every phase of Jamaican music'sevolution, earning him the reputation as one of Jamaica's most consistent andinspired performers, and one of the greatest reggae/r&b singers of alltime. Generations of fans - old and new- are discovering that Toots and theMaytals were - and are - masters of reggae and the live performance. Thecombination of great reggae rhythms, heartfelt vocals, and soulful gospelinfluence remains potent and powerful --probably the most cohesive mix ofreggae 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 firstyear 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 alive 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 NewZealand)
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 thefilm.