Toots Hibbert (born
Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert, 10 December 1945,
May PenMay Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river, and is a major market centre. The population is estimated at around 60,000. The town has a mayor....
, Parish of Clarendon,
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
) is a
skaSka is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and
roots reggaeRoots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that concerns itself with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor. Lyrical themes include poverty, Black pride, social issues, resistance to government and racial oppression, repatriation, and Rastafari....
singer and leader of the
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band* Dansband* Fife and drum...
Toots & the MaytalsToots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
.
As the youngest of seven children, he grew up singing
gospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
in a church choir, but went to
KingstonKingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
when he was a
teenagerAdolescence Adolescence Adolescence (lat adolescere, (to grow) is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs between childhood and adulthood. This transition involves biological (i.e. pubertal), social, and psychological changes, though the biological or...
in the early 1960s. In Kingston he met Raleigh Gordon and Jerry Matthias, and they formed The Maytals.
Toots Hibbert (born
Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert, 10 December 1945,
May PenMay Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river, and is a major market centre. The population is estimated at around 60,000. The town has a mayor....
, Parish of Clarendon,
JamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width, amounting to 11,100 km
2. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harboring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
) is a
skaSka is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
and
roots reggaeRoots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that concerns itself with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor. Lyrical themes include poverty, Black pride, social issues, resistance to government and racial oppression, repatriation, and Rastafari....
singer and leader of the
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
bandIn music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform songs. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band* Dansband* Fife and drum...
Toots & the MaytalsToots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group and one of the best known ska and reggae vocal groups. According to Sandra Brennan at Allmusic, "The Maytals were key figures in reggae music...
.
Biography
As the youngest of seven children, he grew up singing
gospel musicGospel music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
in a church choir, but went to
KingstonKingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica and is located on the southeastern coast of the island country. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
when he was a
teenagerAdolescence Adolescence Adolescence (lat adolescere, (to grow) is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs between childhood and adulthood. This transition involves biological (i.e. pubertal), social, and psychological changes, though the biological or...
in the early 1960s. In Kingston he 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 DoddClement Seymour "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, CD was a Jamaican record producer who was influential in the development of ska and reggae in the 1950s, '60s and beyond...
,
Prince BusterCecil Bustamente Campbell, O.D. , better known as Prince Buster and also known by his Muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music...
,
Byron LeeByron Lee OD, OJ was a musician, record producer, and entrepreneur, best known for his work as leader of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.-Biography:Lee was born in Christiana in Manchester Parish to an Afro-Jamaican mother and a Chinese father Byron Lee OD, OJ (born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee, 27...
and
Leslie KongLeslie Kong was a Chinese Jamaican, reggae record producer.-Career:Leslie Kong and his brothers used to run a restaurant, ice cream parlour and record shop called Beverley's in Orange Street, Kingston...
. This success included winning Jamaica's National Popular Song Contest three times with songs Hibbert wrote: in 1966 with "
Bam BamBam Bam may refer to:*Peter Poulton, a UK radio presenter also known as Bam Bam*Bam Bam Bigelow, a deceased American professional wrestler*Terry Gordy, a deceased American professional wrestler known as "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
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
The Harder They ComeThe Harder They Come is a Jamaican crime film directed by Perry Henzell.The film stars reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, who plays Ivanhoe Martin, a character based on Rhyging, a real-life Jamaican criminal who achieved fame in the 1940s...
. Toots still tours the world today, and his band won the Grammy for best reggae album in 2004. In 2006, Toots & the Maytals covered
RadioheadRadiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their first single, "Creep", in 1992...
's "
Let Down"Let Down" is a song on Radiohead's 1997 album OK Computer. It was intended to be the first single off of the album, but "Paranoid Android" was chosen instead, which, along with "Karma Police", solidified the band's popularity. The track was ultimately not released as a single because the band was...
" for the
Easy Star All-StarsEasy Star All-Stars are a reggae group who are signed to their own Easy Star record label, which is based in New York City. They specialize in covering popular albums in a reggae and dub style and have released three cover albums to date...
album
RadiodreadRadiodread is a 2006 album by the Easy Star All-Stars, a collaboration of reggae and ska artists. They have released one album previously, Dub Side of the Moon, a reggae take on Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon...
, a reggae version of the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock bandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
's
OK ComputerOK Computer is the third album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 16 June 1997. Radiohead recorded the album in rural Oxfordshire and Bath, during 1996 and early 1997, with producer Nigel Godrich...
.
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.
Popular culture
Hibbert was mentioned in the
Soul CoughingSoul Coughing was a New York-based alternative rock band. The band found modest mainstream success during the mid-to-late 90's. Soul Coughing developed a devout fanbase and have garnered largely positive response from critics. Steve Huey describes the band as "one of the most unique cult bands of...
song, "Disseminated", from their 1996 album,
Irresistible BlissIrresistible Bliss was Soul Coughing's second album, released in 1996 . The band initially planned for Tchad Blake, producer of their first album, Ruby Vroom, to produce the album, but the death of a family member in a car accident caused Blake to take a hiatus...
.
Recent Collaborations
Toots recently collaborated with Executive producer
Malik Al NasirMalik Al Nasir is a British author and poet, born in Liverpool, England in 1966 to a Welsh mother and a Guyanese father. He grew up partly with his family in Liverpool and after the tragic paralysis of his father, he was taken into local authority care...
of MediaCPR and
Steel PulseSteel Pulse is a roots reggae musical band. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, in Birmingham, England, composed of David Hinds , Basil Gabbidon , and Ronald McQueen...
's
Sidney MillsSidney Mills was born in the UK in 1959 and moved to Jamaica as a child. He was raised in the Saint Thomas Parish and became a musician from an early age he moved to Kingston the late sixties....
who produced legendary Jamaican percussionist Larry McDonald's new album "Dumquestra" due for release in early 2009. The album also features legends such as
Sly DunbarLowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Working together with Robbie Shakespeare, Sly and Robbie are considered one of the world's premier rhythm sections for their work in the field of reggae...
,
Stranger ColeStranger Cole, also known as StrangeJah Cole is a Jamaican singer whose long recording career dates from the early days of ska in 1962 through to the 2000s.-Biography:...
, Muta Baruka, Stickey Thompson of
The WailersThe Wailers may refer to*The Wailers , 1963-1974, consisting of Bob Marley, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, and Cherry Smith.*Bob Marley & The Wailers, 1974-1981, reggae group led by Bob Marley....
, Kevin Bachelor of the skatalites, Marjorie Wylie Director of the Jamaican National Dance Theatre, Bongo Shem, Bongo Herman, Carl McCleod and Squiddley Cole of Ziggy Marleys band the Melody Makers. Toot's track is called "What about the Children?" A house track with accompanying video which was shot on location in New York.
Toots also performed vocals with
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...
reggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady. Reggae is based...
band
Public PropertyPublic property is property which is jointly owned by a whole community of individuals or by a non-communistic, dictatorial, or totalitarian government, as opposed to private property, which is owned exclusively by an individual or individuals jointly that do not constitute the whole community.In...
on their upcoming album "Work to Do" set for release in July 2009.
Legacy
Toots Hibbert's knack for writing memorable reggae hooks and iconic, powerful Jamaican vocals have left a lasting mark on Reggae, Ska and Rocksteady that can only be paralleled to greats such as
Bob MarleyRobert Nesta "Bob" Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for the ska, rocksteady and reggae bands The Wailers and Bob Marley & The Wailers...
,
Desmond DekkerDesmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer–songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...
,
Jimmy CliffThe Honourable Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican ska and reggae singer, musician and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
and
Prince BusterCecil Bustamente Campbell, O.D. , better known as Prince Buster and also known by his Muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music...
. He has inspired generation after generation of Jamaican and non-Jamaican, through his music, and his message. While still actively touring at the age of 62, two of his children are poised to carry on his legacy: His son, Clayton, records and tours under the name Junior Toots, performing a Reggae/Hip Hop act that includes modern covers of several of Toots's songs. Also, Hibbert's daughter, Leba, fronts The Maytals Band, a tribute band to Toots and the Maytals, which tours internationally, spreading the music of Toots to the world.
It should be noted that Toots Hibbert is no relation to the prominent Everton Footballer, Tony Hibbert (aka Hibbit).
External links