Toots and the Maytals

Born in Jamaica in the early 1960s, Toots and the Maytals began as a vocal trio formed in Kingston by Frederick “Toots” Hibbert, Henry “Raleigh” Gordon and Nathaniel “Jerry” Matthias. Straddling ska, rocksteady and reggae, they developed a sound strongly influenced by gospel and soul, with tight harmonies and Hibbert’s powerful, gritty yet flexible voice. After early recordings for Studio One and subsequent work with Prince Buster, Byron Lee and especially producer Leslie Kong, the group released in the late 1960s several tracks that became landmarks of Jamaican music, including “54-46 That’s My Number”, “Pressure Drop”, “Sweet and Dandy” and “Do the Reggay”, the 1968 song that helped spread the term “reggae”. In the early 1970s the project expanded into Toots and the Maytals with a full stage band—notably featuring Jackie Jackson and Paul Douglas—and gained an international audience through tours, a presence on The Harder They Come soundtrack and releases on Island. In subsequent decades Toots and the Maytals continued to alternate concerts, reinterpretations of their repertoire and collaborations, notably True Love in 2004 and Got to Be Tough in 2020, shortly before Toots Hibbert’s death that same year.