Toots Hibbert

All Music Guide:

The Maytals were key figures in reggae music. Comprised of leader Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias, and Raleigh Gordon, all natives of Kingston, the Maytals are said to have been the first group to use the word "reggae" in a song title with their Leslie Kong-produced "Do the Reggay."

Formed in the early '60s when ska was hot, the Maytals had a reputation for having strong, well-blended voices and a seldom-rivaled passion for their music. Hibbert's soulful style led him to be compared to Otis Redding. They first recorded with producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and the resulting album, Hallelujah, offered a blend of gospel-style vocals and soul sung to a horn-driven Jamaican beat. They were popular from the start, but after recording a few sides with Studio One, they left Dodd in favor of Prince Buster. With him, they soon gained a bigger Jamaican following and also became popular in Great Britain. The Maytals began working with Byron Lee in 1966. Hits from this era include "Dog War," "Daddy," and "Broadway Jungle." That year Lee & His Dragonaires backed the Maytals at the premiere Jamaican Festival Song Competition. Their song, "Bam Bam," won the contest and began a rapid ascent to real stardom. Occasionally, the Maytals would record with other producers, who, perhaps to keep from having to pay royalties, would put different band names on the labels such as "the Vikings", "the Royals", and "the Flames". The Maytals were reaching the height of their popularity toward the end of 1966 when Hibbert was arrested for smoking and possessing ganja and was sent to prison for 18 months. Fortunately, the other two Maytals, who were best friends with Hibbert and realized that they could not possibly re-create their unique sound with another frontman, waited for him.

When Hibbert was released, the band started working with legendary producer Leslie Kong. This was a time of transition in Jamaican popular music, and ska was being replaced by the angry, violent music of Rude Boys, and this in turn was becoming reggae. The Maytals changed accordingly, but still kept that soul- and gospel-influenced sound that made them unique. While in prison, Hibbert had honed his songwriting skills. Their first Kong single, "54-46 That's My Number," a reference to Hibbert's prison number, recounted his experiences and suggested that he was jailed on a trumped-up charge because he was a Rastafarian. It became a huge hit in both Jamaica and England and has since become a rocksteady standard. Other major songs from this time include the scathingly funny "Monkey Man," and "Sweet and Dandy," which provided the Maytals with a second win at the 1969 Festival Song Competition. One of their all-time great hits, "Pressure Drop," was from the soundtrack of the definitive reggae film, The Harder They Come. By 1971, they had not only become the biggest act on the island, they were also (thanks to signing with Chris Blackwell's Island Records) international stars. Then Leslie Kong died. They moved on to producer Byron Lee, and though the hits continued, things began to slow down. It was Lee who renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Hibbert and the group broke up in 1981. From there, Hibbert began working with producers Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. He had international success throughout the '80s. Hibbert created a new Maytals in the early '90s and continued touring the world with them. A major-label comeback, 2004's True Love, found Hibbert signed to V2. Light Your Light followed in 2007.

Wikipedia:

Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert (born 8 December 1945) is a ska and roots reggae singer and leader of the reggae band Toots & the Maytals.

Biography

Born in May Pen, Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica, the youngest of seven children, he grew up singing gospel music in a church choir. He moved to Kingston as a teenager in the early 1960s, and met Raleigh Gordon and Jerry Matthias, and they formed The Maytals. The Maytals became one of the most popular vocal groups in Jamaica in the 1960s, recording with producers Coxsone Dodd, Prince Buster, Byron Lee and Leslie Kong. This success included winning Jamaica's National Popular Song Contest three times with songs Hibbert wrote: in 1966 with "Bam Bam", 1969 with "Sweet and Dandy", and 1972 with "Pomps & Pride".

Hibbert was one of the first artists to use the word reggae, in 1968's "Do The Reggay", an early reggae song. He also appeared in the groundbreaking Jamaican film The Harder They Come. Toots still tours the world today, and his band won the Grammy for best reggae album in 2004. In 2006, Toots & the Maytals covered Radiohead's "Let Down" for the Easy Star All-Stars album Radiodread, a reggae version of the English rock band's OK Computer.

Much of Hibbert's recorded output reflects his mainstream evangelical Christian upbringing. He has been known to also write about Rastafarian themes as well. He also can play every instrument in his band.

Recent collaborations

Toots recently collaborated with executive producer Malik Al Nasir of MediaCPR and Steel Pulse's Sidney Mills, who produced Jamaican percussionist Larry McDonald's album "Drumquestra" released in 2009. Toots' track is called "What about the Children?", a house track with accompanying video shot on location in New York. Toots performed vocals with Iowa reggae band Public Property on their album "Work to Do" in 2009.

Hibbert was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Hibbert recently collaborated with the Jacksonville, Florida southern rock/blues group, JJ Grey & MOFRO. He is featured in their song, The Sweetest Thing, on their new album, Georgia Warhorse.

Hibbert joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers for a performance of Louie Louie during their New Year's Eve performance on December 31, 2011 held in St. Barts by Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich. The private bash was invitation only and around 300 guests including George Lucas, Martha Stewart, Marc Jacobs and Jimmy Buffett attended the party at Abramovich's $90 million estate.

Footnotes