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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.
The Preacher
The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kneeling, oh kneeling
Oh, kneeling, oh, kneeling under ever loving ways
[Incomprehensible]
Kneeling, ooh kneeling
Oh, kneeling, oh, kneeling, kneeling under ever loving ways
Like I'm going to cry right now
Feel I'm going to lose, lose my mind
Feel I'm going to cry, cry right now
And he said, "Sister
You better come fall down on your knees and pray for all your sins"
And he said, "Brother
You know you're fitting for thy kingdom"
Just like when Joshua commanded stood still
He didn't, stood still
And I said "Father
Please, please, please have mercy upon me"
'Cause I got to, got to, got to
Kneeling, ooh kneeling
Oh, oh kneeling, kneeling under ever loving ways
Everybody sing the song
Kneeling, oh, oh kneeling
And God said, let there be light, oh yeah
And God divided the dark from the light
And the light He called day
And the darkness He called night
So the evening and the morning was the first day
God created the heaven, sand and earth
And this earth was without form and void
'Cause I got to, got to, got to
Kneeling, ooh, oh kneeling
Oh, kneeling, oh kneeling, kneeling under ever loving ways
The Maytals' song "The Preacher" speaks about the power of faith and the importance of kneeling before God to ask for mercy and forgiveness. The opening lines of the song repeat the phrase "got to" several times, which indicates the necessity of the act of kneeling - it's not a choice but a requirement. The phrase "kneeling under ever loving ways" suggests that this act of submissiveness is not an act of fear or obligation but rather an act of love towards God.
The lyrics then shift to the singer's personal feelings of despair and a sense of losing their mind. The reference to crying suggests emotional pain, which could be linked to the feeling of one's sins weighing heavily on their conscience. The preacher's words of advice to "fall down on your knees and pray for all your sins" and the assurance that the singer is "fitting for thy kingdom" speaks to the idea that repentance and submission are necessary for salvation.
The later references to the story of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still and God's creation of light and darkness speak to the idea of the power and sovereignty of God. Overall, the song encourages listeners to kneel before God in faith and submission, recognizing their own shortcomings and seeking mercy and forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
Got to, got to, got to, got to
Necessity to submit oneself to the higher powers
Kneeling, oh kneeling
Humbling oneself before the Almighty
Oh, kneeling, oh, kneeling under ever loving ways
Surrendering to the love and kindness of the divine force
[Incomprehensible]
Unintelligible expression of the artist's emotional turmoil
Feel I'm going to lose, lose my mind
Overwhelmed by the weight of life
Like I'm going to cry right now
Emotionally shaken to the point of tears
And he said, "Sister
A spiritual advisor's address to a female believer
You better come fall down on your knees and pray for all your sins
An urgent call to repentance and redemption
And he said, "Brother
A spiritual advisor's address to a male believer
You know you're fitting for thy kingdom"
A reassurance of salvation and eternal life
Just like when Joshua commanded stood still
A reference to biblical story of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still
He didn't, stood still
A confusing statement, probably referring to Joshua's miracle
And I said "Father
The singer's address to God
Please, please, please have mercy upon me"
An earnest plea for divine forgiveness and compassion
Everybody sing the song
A call for collective worship and celebration
And God said, let there be light, oh yeah
A reference to the biblical story of creation
And God divided the dark from the light
Describing how God created the universe
And the light He called day
The naming of the first day of creation
And the darkness He called night
The naming of the first night of creation
So the evening and the morning was the first day
The first day of creation concluded with night and day
God created the heaven, sand and earth
A concise depiction of divine creation
And this earth was without form and void
Describing the initial state of the world before God created life
'Cause I got to, got to, got to
Reasserting the necessity of submission and devotion
Kneeling, ooh kneeling
A reminder of the importance of humility and prayer
Oh, kneeling, oh kneeling, kneeling under ever loving ways
Encouraging believers to surrender to the ever-loving ways of the divine
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulconnelly2366
my heart is broken cuz I never saw you live, but your music touched my soul and changed my life.❤
@yvamarquer
Thank you Toots
@nickalmeida510
R.I.P. Toots
@StreetFCbaltimore
Nice!!!