Play Toots and The… Radio

Toots and The Maytals

On Tour

2,950,176 plays (248,713 listeners)

Listening now: metalskajazzetc

118 shouts

Add to my Library Share

Kingston, Jamaica

Toots and the Maytals, originally called simply The Maytals, are considered legends of and music. They are from Kingston, Jamaica. Their sound is a unique, original combination of gospel, ska, soul, reggae and rock. Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, the leader of the group, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.

In Kingston, he met Henry “Raleigh” Gordon and Nathaniel “Jerry” McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to “The Flames” and, possibly, “The Vikings”. Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, “Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals”, for producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd’s house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals’ close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd’s other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.

After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band’s musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drugs possession charges.
Read more… Edit

Top Albums

See more

Top Tracks

1 Play
Pressure Drop full track
1,738
2 Play
Funky Kingston full track
1,125
3 Play
54-46 Was My Number full track
881
4 Play
Monkey Man full track
436
5 Play
Time Tough full track
307
6 Play
274
7 Play
Louie Louie full track
269
8  
195
9 Play
186
10 Play
178
11 Play
Reggae Got Soul full track
167
12 Play
Do the Reggay full track
155
13 Play
Redemption Song full track
151
14  
144
15 Play
Bam Bam full track
129
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).
See all 118 shouts

Videos

See more

Events

Add event See more

Listeners

See more

Recent Activity

Related Journals

See more

More Information

Links
Labels
Other spellings

Email Newsletter

Universal Music Group Get exclusive tour, release & promotion updates on Toots and The Maytals from Universal Music.