In Kingston, he met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to "The Flames" and, possibly, "The Vikings". Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, "Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals", for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.
After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band's musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drugs possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band officially changed their name to Toots and the Maytals and began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which produced three classic albums and 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 was my number" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970. The group was featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff.
Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the group released three best-selling albums, and enjoyed international hits with "Funky Kingston" in 1973 and "Reggae Got Soul" in 1976.
The compositions of Toots & the Maytals (also known as Toots and the Maytals) 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", with other Maytals' covers being recorded by Sublime. 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.
The band recently won the 2005 Grammy award for reggae for the 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.
They also contributed to the album 'Radiodread' (a tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
Country Roads
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Almost heaven, West Jamaica
True ridge mountains
Shining down the river
All my friends there
Older than those ridge
Younger than the mountains
Country roads take me home
To the place I belong
West Jamaica, my ol' mama
Take me home country roads
I heard her voice
In the mornin' hour she calls me
Said "Son you remind me of my home far away"
Drivin' down the road I feel a sickness, I sure did
Oh yesterday, yesterday
All my memories, all gathered 'round her
My my lady swingin' through the water (water)
Dark and dusty painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine
Tears fall out my eyes
Country roads take me home
To the place I belong
West Jamaica, my my my my my my mama
Won't you take me go home country roads
Oh I like that, me too
Country roads take me home
To the place I belong
West Jamaica, my my my my my my mama
Won't you take me go home country roads
Go, get ahead together
Country roads take me home
To the place I belong
West Jamaica, my my my my my my mama
Won't you take me go home country roads
Toots & The Maytals's song "Country Roads" is a version of John Denver’s classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads" with a Jamaican twist. In the song, the singer expresses a desire to return home to the West Jamaica countryside, where the true ridge mountains and the river shine down. The singer's friends are all there, and they range in age from younger than the mountains to older than the true ridge mountains. The lyrics describe the scenery, the taste of the moonshine, and the nostalgia of memories, which brings tears to the singer's eyes. The song ends with the singer's request to his mother to take him home.
The song was recorded in 1973, and it was one of Toots & The Maytals's most popular tracks. It highlights the group’s ability to fuse different genres, from reggae to rock, and to create music that attracted a broad audience. The song has been covered by many artists, including Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Olivia Newton-John, and Hermes House Band, among others.
Line by Line Meaning
Almost heaven, West Jamaica
West Jamaica is like paradise
True ridge mountains
There are beautiful and majestic mountains in West Jamaica
Shining down the river
The sun is reflecting off the river
All my friends there
The singer has people he cares about in West Jamaica
Older than those ridge
The singer's friends are older than the mountains in West Jamaica
Younger than the mountains
The singer's friends are still young at heart
Blowin' like a breeze
Their energy is free and refreshing like a breeze
Country roads take me home
The singer misses West Jamaica and wants to return
To the place I belong
West Jamaica is the singer's true home
West Jamaica, my ol' mama
The singer is addressing West Jamaica as a motherly figure
I heard her voice
The singer is reminiscing about West Jamaica calling out to him
In the mornin' hour she calls me
The singer fondly remembers being woken up by the sounds of West Jamaica
Said "Son you remind me of my home far away"
West Jamaica recognizes the singer's longing for home
Drivin' down the road I feel a sickness, I sure did
The singer feels homesick while driving
All my memories, all gathered 'round her
The singer has many fond memories of West Jamaica
My my lady swingin' through the water (water)
The singer is reminiscing about a woman he saw in West Jamaica
Dark and dusty painted on the sky
The sky in West Jamaica has a unique and beautiful quality to it
Misty taste of moonshine
The singer remembers the taste of homemade liquor in West Jamaica
Tears fall out my eyes
The singer becomes emotional thinking about West Jamaica
Go, get ahead together
The singer is rallying his friends to join him in returning to West Jamaica
Won't you take me go home country roads
The singer pleads with West Jamaica to take him back home
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: John Denver, Mary Catherine Danoff, Taffy Nivert Danoff, William Danoff
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Grejb444
My Wife is from Jamaica I'm from West Virginia! This is blowing my mind.
@Garraldosmuzik
listen Cr roots versions =) blessings
@sambarker4035
Haha that's awesome
@richardnone5644
nobody is from west Virginia ha ha ha Richard in the tropics
@erikkingaard7181
Ha!!!
@fabienbourdier9847
hahaha amazing, you guys must love this song
@chrispreston4560
I was sat on a mini bus from Kingston to Portland and this came on the massive system on the bus and the whole bus started singing, one memory I will never forget!
@84rebz
as a West Virginian Country Roads is naturally my mama's favorite song. This brought tears to my eyes man. Home and country roads are for everyone, everywhere
@greglittle9422
The world would be a better place if everyone chilled to this kind of music
@mumfordalien1794
I'm enjoying it right now 😊