- - -
Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group, was born in May Pen, Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1958 at the age of thirteen. In Kingston, Hibbert met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming in 1962 a group whose early recordings were incorrectly attributed to "The Flames" and "The Vikings" by Island records in the UK.
The Maytals first had chart success recording for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured success, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming vocal group, The Wailers. After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster before recording with Byron Lee in 1965. With Lee, the Maytals won their first Festival Popular Song Competition with "Bam Bam". However, the group's musical career was interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned. Toots states that he was not arrested for ganja but while bailing a friend. He also states that he made up the number 54-46 when writing 54-46 That's My Number about his time in jail.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the Maytals began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies - "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word reggae, "Pressure Drop", "54-46" the 1969 Jamaica festival's popular song winner, "Sweet & Dandy" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970 . In 1972 they won their third Jamaica festival popular song with "Pomps & Pride". The group was also featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff, named as one of Vanity Fair's Top 10 Best Soundtracks of all time.
Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; the group released three best-selling albums produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, and enjoyed international hits with Funky Kingston in 1973 and Reggae Got Soul in 1975. Following the release of "Reggae Got Soul", Toots & The Maytals were invited to tour as the warm-up act for The Who during their North American Tour. The tour went poorly and Toots & The Maytals never went on the success of Bob Marley or Peter Tosh in the US.
Toots and the Maytals' compositions would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when The Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and The Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop". They were also included in the Bob Marley and the Wailers song, *Punky Reggae Party". "The Wailers will be there, The Damned, The Jam, The Clash, The Maytals will be there, Dr. Feelgood too".
Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully. Sublime recorded cover versions of some Maytals songs in the 1990s as well.
The group recently won the 2005 Grammy award for best reggae album True Love, an album consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside popular and legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists today such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
In 2006, they recorded a reggae/ska version of Radiohead's Let Down for the tribute album, Radiodread, by the Easy Star All-Stars. The album is a complete song for song makeover of the English rock band's album OK Computer into reggae, dub and ska. Let Down has been frequently cited by reviewers as one of the successes of the album.
A follow up to 2004's Love was being recorded in 2005 and released in 2007, and featured re-workings of classics such as "Johnny Cool Man" as well as new material. Light Your Light was nominated for the Grammy in the category Best Reggae Album.
Frederick Nathaniel 'Toots' Hibbert passed away September 11, 2020 at age 77.
Funky Kingston
The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey Hey Hey
I want you to believe every word I say
I want you to believe every thing I do
I said music is what I've got to give
And I've got to find some way to make it
Music is what I've got baby
I want you to come on and shake it
Oh yeah hey
Na na na...
Oh yeah..na na na
Funky (x3)
Funky Kingston, is what I've got for you
Oh yeah
Funky Kingston, yeah is what I've got for you
Funky Kingston
Oh yeah
Lemme hear your funky guitar
Yo reggae
Hear the piano, stick it to me
Watch me now
You watch me now
Playing from east to west yeah
I just play from north to south, yeah
I love black America
People keep on asking me for
Funky Kingston
But I ain't got none
Somebody take it away from me
The Maytals' "Funky Kingston" is a high-energy song that tells about the power of music. The lyrics are about the singer's passion for music and how he wants to share it with the world. He implores the listeners to believe in his message, to believe in everything he does. The song uses repetition and call-and-response to engage the listeners, creating an infectious rhythm that encourages them to get up and dance. The catchy chorus, "Funky Kingston," is repeated multiple times, urging the listeners to embrace the groove.
The song's lyrics also touch on social issues. The line "I love black America" shows the singer's pride in his culture, and his desire to share it with others. The repeated requests for "Funky Kingston" could be interpreted as a call for greater cultural understanding and appreciation.
Overall, "Funky Kingston" is a celebration of music and its ability to bring people together. The song encourages the listeners to let go and embrace the rhythm, to dance and have fun. It's a joyous reminder that music is a powerful force that can unite people of different cultures and backgrounds.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody, give it to me huh
Addressing everyone to participate and contribute, expression of enthusiasm and eagerness to receive
Hey Hey Hey
An energetic and upbeat greeting, emphasizes enthusiasm and positivity
I want you to believe every word I say
Requesting the audience's trust and belief in the artist's message and intentions
I want you to believe every thing I do
Asking for acceptance and validation of the artist's decisions and actions
I said music is what I've got to give
Asserting that music is the artist's main offering to the world
And I've got to find some way to make it
Acknowledging the artist's responsibility to continue creating and sharing their music with others
Music is what I've got baby
Reiterating that the artist's main talent and passion is music
I want you to come on and shake it
Encouraging the audience to participate and dance to the music
Shake it shake it baby
Repeating the previous line to emphasize the invitation to dance and have fun
Oh yeah hey
An expression of excitement and agreement, used to emphasize a positive feeling
Na na na...
An interjection used to fill the space between verses with sound, used as an emphasis on the rhythm
Oh yeah..na na na
Continuation of the previous interjection, emphasizing the energetic and upbeat atmosphere
Funky (x3)
A repeated exclamation to indicate the genre and style of music being played
Funky Kingston, is what I've got for you
Clarifying that the artist's music is specifically of the funk and reggae sub-genre called 'Kingston'
Oh yeah
An expression of excitement and agreement, used to emphasize a positive feeling
Funky Kingston, yeah is what I've got for you
Reiterating that the artist's music is of the funk and reggae sub-genre called 'Kingston', used as a reassurance for the audience
Lemme hear your funky guitar
Requesting a solo or improvisation from the guitarist to showcase their funk style
Yo reggae
An exclamation used to introduce a different style of music, in this case reggae
Hear the piano, stick it to me
Acknowledging and appreciating the piano player's performance, used as a compliment and encouragement
Watch me now
An invitation to the audience to observe and pay attention to the artist's upcoming performance
You watch me now
Reinforcement of the previous invitation, used to emphasize the artist's confidence and stage presence
Playing from east to west yeah
Describing the artist's music as being influenced by and reaching from different directions and cultures
I just play from north to south, yeah
Continuation of the previous line, emphasizing the artist's versatility and adaptability in playing different styles of music from different geographical directions
I love black America
A declaration of appreciation and admiration for African American culture and music
People keep on asking me for
Acknowledging the audience's interest and demand for a specific style of music
Funky Kingston
Repeating the name of the artist's music genre, emphasizing its popularity and recognition among the audience
But I ain't got none
Admitting that the artist currently does not have any music of that specific style prepared or available to play
Somebody take it away from me
An expression of humor and exaggeration, implying that the artist cannot handle the high demand and popularity of their music
Contributed by Caleb M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@g.b.174
REGGAE
GOT
SOUL
🙏🏼❤️💛💚
To the Great and Irreplaceable Toots Hibbert. An absolute LEGEND. Thank you for bringing so much joy and happiness to the World. You will be missed beyond words. #MakeChesterProud
@andrewpetik2034
Everybody, give it to me huh
Hey Hey Hey
I want you to believe every word I say
I want you to believe every thing I do
I said music is what I've got to give
And I've got to find some way to make it
Music is what I've got baby
I want you to come on and shake it
Shake it shake it baby
Oh yeah hey
Na na na...
Oh yeah.na na na
Funky
Funky Kingston, is what I've got for you
Oh yeah
Funky Kingston, yeah is what I've got for you
Oh yeah
Lemme hear your funky guitar
Yo reggae
Hear the piano, stick it to me
Watch me now
You watch me now
Playing from east to west yeah
I just play from north to south, yeah
I love black America
People keep on asking me for
But I ain't got none
Somebody take it away from me
@lauriemills4336
I can’t believe he’s gone. I’ve been loving his music since my boyfriend turned me on to the soundtrack album from “The Harder they come”. I was 16 and although it wasn’t new music, I was hooked on his sound. My neighbors are getting educated in what true Reggae sounds like all ...week. It’s like a healing balm on my soul to get lost in this music during these stressful times. Thank you Toots, Rest In Peace brother.
@jimrolfe-herbert8583
I watched the film The Harder they come in Brixton in 1972 and the audience fell about laughing when sub titles came on the screen lol
@Kim_Jong_Un_2023
My all time favorite Funky Kingston
@stephenlayzell4786
That drum roll in the middle of the song is always electric no matter how many times I hear it!!!
@SaphirSouenEstherG
R I P Toots Hibbert - December 8, 1942 - September 11, 2020
@paulbarnes8363
Bad news for sure
@AssistantPimp2
died the same date as Peter Tosh...
@tomasghisolfo5309
@AssistantPimp2 kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkz.&.&..&.z..luz&.&zkz..&.&.&.&.&..&.&.&.&.&...&.&.&.&.&..&.&.&..&.kzkzkz&.&.&.
@apapapapo3171
Bro.... 9/11
@apapapapo3171
@tomas ghisolfo what are you saying?