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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.
scare him
The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scare him, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, don't let them come near
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, don't let them come near
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Scare him, alright, alright, alright
Alright, don't let them come near
Alright, alright, alright
Alright, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Scare him, don't let them come near
The song "Scare Him" by The Maytals is a deeply emotional song with a strong sense of protectiveness running through it. The song uses repetitive phrases to create a sense of urgency, urging the listener to take action to protect someone dear to them. The first set of phrases, "Scare him, scare him, scare him / Scare him, don't let them come near," seems to imply that someone is trying to harm the person being protected. The repetition of "scare him" could be interpreted as a call to intimidate or frighten anyone who might pose a threat.
The second set of phrases, "Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear / Sleep dear, don't let them come near," suggests that the person being protected is in a vulnerable state, perhaps asleep, and needs to be shielded from danger. The repetition of "sleep dear" is a term of endearment, underscoring the importance of the person being guarded.
The third set of phrases, "Alright, alright, alright / Alright, don't let them come near," indicates that the situation is becoming tense and the need for protection is increasingly urgent. The repetition of "alright" has a calming effect, suggesting that the person doing the protecting is trying to stay level-headed in a high-stress environment.
Overall, "Scare Him" is a poignant and emotional song that captures the deep love and protectiveness that many of us feel towards those we care about. The repetition of certain phrases creates a sense of urgency and helps to underscore the importance of protecting those we love.
Line by Line Meaning
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Intimidate him so that he will not come near
Scare him, don't let them come near
Make sure he stays away from harm's way
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Rest peacefully without worrying
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Keep yourself safe while dreaming
Alright, alright, alright
Everything is under control
Alright, don't let them come near
Ensure that everything is safe and sound
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Guard against potential threats
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Sleep soundly without fear or disturbance
Scare him, alright, alright, alright
Intimidate him to keep him safe
Alright, don't let them come near
Ensure that everything is secure and safe
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Warn him to stay away from potential danger
Sleep dear, sleep dear, sleep dear
Get a good night's rest without any worries
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Keep him from harm's way
Sleep dear, don't let them come near
Stay safe and protect yourself while you sleep
Scare him, scare him, scare him
Warn him of potential danger and keep him safe
Contributed by Josiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.