Toots Hibbert (Toots and The Maytals) – Reminding the world that we “Got to be Tough!”

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

Reggae sources have announced that the legendary and iconic singer Fredrick Toots Hibbert of the famous and world renown band (Toots and The Maytals) died Friday at the age of 77.

Toots was admitted to the hospital a few days ago, his publicist Claude Mills told a reputable news source. “Toots was fighting for his life and his family was asking for prayers,” Mills said.

This hospitalization came less than a week after the band released its first album in more than a decade called “Got To Be Tough”. The 77-year-old singer was admitted at to hospital in St Andrews, Jamaica, after complaining about breathing issues. While he was awaiting test results he succumbed and transitioned on.

Toots had a musical career that lasted six decades and all the stripes to show that he was worth his weight in musical gold. Here is a glimpse into the man and musical architect who gave reggae, its name and Jamaica her fame!

The group called (Toots and the Maytals) was formed in the early 60’s and were key players in taking reggae music to the frontline world-wide. The soulful style of Toots has been compared to greats like Otis Redding and has led him to be named one of the 100 greatest singers by Rolling Stone.

Island Records founder Mr. Chris Blackwell once said, “The Maytals were unlike anything else: sensational, raw, and dynamic.”

Lead singer Toots was born in Maypen, Clarendon, Jamaica in 1942. He was the youngest of seven children and grew up as a gospel singer in the church choir. Toots made a move to Kingston in the late 50’s.

The group’s first taste of chart success came when recording for producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd at Studio One. The group was so good at what they did, that it was said they overshadowed the Wailers at that moment in time.

The group won the first-ever Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition in 1966 with their original song “Bam Bam.”  

The Maytals career was stalled in 1966 when Toots got an 18-month jail sentence for Ganja, but Hibbert said he was sent to jail for bailing out a friend, and that was where he came up with the hit “54 46 That’s My Number.”

After Toots emerged from jail in 1967, Toots and The Maytals began working with the Chinese Jamaican producer Leslie Kong and this joint venture produced a string of hits in the late 60’s and early 70’s including “Pressure Drop,” and “Sweet And Dandy.”

Toots and his band had its first international hit “Monkey Man,” in 1970. They later signed a recording contract with Chris Blackwell‘s Island Records, becoming the biggest act in Jamaica at the time.

1972 was a very good year for the group who won the Jamaican Independence Festival Popular Song Competition for a third time with “Pomps and Pride,” and also contributed two songs for the soundtrack of “The Harder They Come” starring Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff! The film showcased Jamaican music to American audiences, and the band appeared in one of the scenes as well.

In 1982, the group split up, but Toots kept on recording as a solo artist and in the early 1990’s a new lineup of the Maytals was formed. In February 1990, Toots and the Maytals performed on VH1‘s New Visions of World Beat. The group continued to tour and record successfully, with two appearances at Reggae Sunsplash in the mid-1990’s.

In 2004 the “True Love” album won the Grammy for best reggae album, and this band also holds the current record of number one hits in Jamaica, with a total of thirty-one.

With accomplishments and accolades so high, it is no wonder why Chris Blackwell of Island Records had these words to say in loving memory of Toots. “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.”

So powerful was Toot’s influence musically that Bob Marley’s son Ziggy Marley tweeted “The Legendary Toots Hibbert has passed. I spoke with him a few weeks ago and told him how much I loved him. We laughed and shared our mutual respect. He was a father figure to me. His spirit is with us. His music fills us with his energy. I will never forget him. RIP MIGHTY & POWERFUL NYAH FYAH BALL.”

Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones tweeted “So sad to hear of Toots Hibbert’s passing. When I first heard Pressure Drop that was a big moment – he had such a powerful voice and on stage, he always gave the audience his total energy. A sad loss to the music world.”

Ronnie Wood, another Rolling Stone musician tweeted “I’d like to send my condolences to the Hibbert family for my dear friend Toots Hibbert who passed away on Friday. I have very happy memories of playing with him. A lovely man and a great talent.”

Toots is survived by his wife of 39 years (Miss D) and seven out of eight children. Fans world-wide mourn the loss of this legendary singer and salute a fallen champion, his family and his management team would like to thank the medical teams and professionals for their care and diligence.

Frederick Nathaniel “Toots” Hibbert Sunrise, December 8^th,1942 – Sunset, September 11^th, 2020.

Nuff Respect Dada!