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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.
Night and Day
The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wonder if the time can come
Night and day and night
I wonder if the time can come, money
So I sit alone in life's memory
Just outside of the world I know
So I stand at peace
Wonder why they want to stop
Want to stop my life
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Night and day
Night and day and night
I wonder if the time can come
Yeah, you some love my friend
Yeah, you'll get good lovin' my friend
You may want some lovin', my friend, yeah
You'll get good lovin' my friend
The Maytals' song "Night And Day" speaks about the unending struggle with time and money. The chorus repeats the phrase "Night and day and night I wonder if the time can come, money", suggesting that the singer is constantly haunted by the lack of time and money in their life. The verse suggests that the singer is tired of the world they know, and wants to escape it. They stand at peace while watching those wicked people who want to stop their life. The song ends on a positive note, with the singer offering good love to their friend who may want some.
The song reflects the difficult socio-economic circumstances in Jamaica during the 1960s and 70s when the country was struggling with poverty and political turmoil. The lyrics highlight the everyday struggles of the common people who were trying to make ends meet. The song also touches on themes of isolation and alienation, which were often experienced by many marginalized communities.
Line by Line Meaning
Night and day and night
The repetition of 'night and day' emphasizes the singer's constant questioning and contemplation.
I wonder if the time can come
The singer is unsure if the future will hold what they are hoping and waiting for.
Night and day and night
The repetition of 'night and day' once again highlights the constant nature of the singer's thoughts.
I wonder if the time can come, money
The artist is also thinking about the financial aspect of their situation and whether or not they will have enough money to achieve their goals.
So I sit alone in life's memory
The artist is reflecting on their past and contemplating their current situation.
Just outside of the world I know
The singer feels disconnected from their surroundings and possibly their current social circle.
So I stand at peace
Despite their uncertainty, the singer has found inner peace and calmness.
Watching those wicked creep, yeah
The artist is observing others who may be trying to bring them down or interfere with their plans.
Wonder why they want to stop
The artist is questioning the motives of those who may be trying to interfere with their success.
Want to stop my life
The obstructionists may be trying to prevent the artist from living the life they want and achieving their goals.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This phrase is a common refrain in reggae music and signifies agreement or encouragement.
Night and day
The phrase is repeated once again, emphasizing the constant nature and importance of the artist's thoughts and desires.
Yeah, you some love my friend
The singer is offering love and support to their friend.
Yeah, you'll get good lovin' my friend
The singer is also offering assurance that their friend will find love and happiness.
You may want some lovin', my friend, yeah
The singer is acknowledging their friend's potential desire for love and companionship.
You'll get good lovin' my friend
The artist is again assuring their friend of their potential for finding love and happiness.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nitin Nimgaonkar
Just got done watching the Trojan documentary on amazon. Glad they kept this one roots and truly Jamaican- no strings! This is a raw precursor to a deep stepper 🇯🇲 🔥
DON DIEGO
the golden era of music in jamaica. was so important to the people there. one love
Barrie Ganderton
Oh that drum crash at the beginning and straight into some monster reggae. Superb stuff.
DON DIEGO
Fantastic song! Great riddim and Toots at it's best! Great Reggae tune from start to finish
Golf Man
Sung his heart out on this track, was sad to hear that he'd passed away.
R.I.P. FREDERICK "TOOTS" NATHANIEL HIBBERT 8/DEC/1942--11/SEP/2020
DON DIEGO
RIP to one of the greatest! One Love
At Zero
Stay Rude Stay Roots and keep your Boots Stomping.. one of the Great Songs in Raggae history..
john taylor
RIP TOOTS,love and peace thanks for the musical legacy you left.
DON DIEGO
One Love mate
john taylor
@DON DIEGO Much respect to you Don for keeping this music alive and making it available for younger geberations to appreciate.