Enter a city or US Zip  
Washington DC's Weather
VOL 3. NO. 35 Monday, September 17 - Sunday, September 23, 2001
AFRICA
AGAINST THE GRAIN
BUSINESS/NETWORKING
CARIBBEAN CONNECTION
CONSCIOUSLY SPEAKING
FOR THE FAMILY
GALLERIES/MUSEUMS
GET YOUR LAUGH ON
GO GO GROOVES
HEALTH/LIVING WHOLE
HIP HOP/R&B
JAZZ/CLASSICAL
JUST CLUBBING
MORE MUSIC
PRAISE & WORSHIP
SOULFUL CUISINE
SPORTING ACTION
STAGE
THE WORD
SIGN UP NOW! FREE Metro Connection email newsletter.

CARIBBEAN CONNECTION
Toots & the Maytals Brings 30 Years of Reggae Soul to the Recher Theatre

Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals

When Frederick "Toots" Hibbert wrote "Do the Reggay" in 1968, he was probably unaware that he was giving a name to a musical form that would have a revolutionary impact on the world. Toots and the Maytals have been recording for over 30 years and their work includes some of the greatest ska and reggae music ever produced.

When Toots Hibbert chose to make a career in music in 1961, he was one of many up-and-coming singer and musicians attempting to make a name for himself in Kingston, Jamaica.

In 1962, Toots joined with fellow singers Raleigh Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" Matthias to form the Maytals. Their first album, "Hallelujah," was produced by the legendary Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd and featured a mix of Jamaican rhythms and gospel vocal influence that would mark much of the Maytals' music. Despite the popularity of this record throughout Jamaica, the Maytals left Sir Coxsone and began working with another legendary DJ and producer Prince Buster. The Buster-produced Maytals singles were popular successes in Jamaica and England, where this new type of "ska" music became a sensation in dancehalls.

In 1966, the Maytals began working to Byron Lee and his Dragonaires. By this time, Lee had already been recording and performing with Jamaican musicians for a decade, and the Maytals -- with the Dragonaires providing musical accompaniment -- won Jamaica's first 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 smoking and possession of marijuana and was sentenced and jailed.

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 violent world of the Rude Boys and the complex sound of reggae. Toots was far closer to soul and gospel influences than the more aggressive attitudes and sounds that many of the young musicians were choosing to incorporate in their music. Nevertheless, the Maytals' first single in two years, "54-46 (That's My Number)" combined the story of Toots' prison experiences with a powerful downbeat to create one of the greatest rock steady/reggae single of all time.

As rock steady morphed into reggae the Maytals consolidated their position as leaders in Jamaican music. They recorded the hit "Monkey Man," and another song, "Sweet and Dandy" won the 1969 Festival Song Competition and was feature, along with their dance-floor classic "Pressure Drop," on the soundtrack to "The Harder They Come," one of the greatest reggae albums of all time.

Chris Blackwell signed Toots and the Maytals to his Island label in the early 70s. The Maytals responded with what is considered their finest album to date "Funky Kinston." With Islands' Organization backing them (as well as label mates Bob Marley and the Wailers), international audiences were able to hear Toots and the Maytals fuse reggae, soul and gospel into a dynamic combination. Constant touring showed audiences what Jamaicans had known for over a decade -- that Toots and the Maytals were simply one of the great live acts in the world.

The popularity of Toots and the Maytals increased through the 70s with such popular releases as "In the Dark," "Reggae Got Soul," " Pass the Pipe," "Just Like That," "Knock Out" and "Toots & the Maytals Live." In 1981, Toots disbanded the Maytals and began recording with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. The combination of Toots, Sly and Robbie produced international hits such as "Spiritual Healing" and "Peace Perfect Peace" in the mid-1980s. Their best work, however, was the popular and critically acclaimed "Toots and Memphis," which featured Toots covering Stax classics in his own inimitable way.

Toots reformed the Maytals in the early 90s and they continue to tour today, showing a new generation of fans that Toots and the Maytals were -- and are -- masters of reggae and live performance. The combination of great reggae rhythms, heartfelt vocals and Memphis soul and gospel influence remains as potent and powerful today as ever.

Toots and the Maytals will perform at the Recher Theatre on Saturday, September 22.

To comment on this or any other article email editor@metroconnection.info.


Welcome Calendar Connection What's Up?/Story Ideas/Events Classified Ads Best Black Web Sites Business Services Including our Ujamaa Black Business Directory Our Print Edition Our Advertising Media Kit Contact Us/Feedback Form