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).
I Shall Sing
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sing a song
In the morning
And in the day
Everywhere I go
I want the world to know
That I can do
My version would go like this
La la la la la la la la
I could sing a song yeah
Lide lide lide lu lu yeah
I heard them talking
All over the world
They want me to do
A version of your song
My version goes like this here
The lyrics to Toots & The Maytals's song "I Shall Sing" depict the singer's passion for music and his desire to share his own version of a particular song with the world. He expresses his intention to sing in the morning and in the day as he believes that music is a language that can be spoken at all times. He wants the entire world to know that he is capable of performing his own interpretation of a song that he has heard. His version of the song involves improvisation with repetitive nonsensical sounds such as "La la la la la la la la" and "Lide lide lide lu lu yeah." Despite the lack of coherent lyrics, the singer believes that his version of the song will be able to convey his message and his love for music.
The lyrics of "I Shall Sing" carry a universal message that music is a powerful tool that can be used to connect people from all parts of the world. The singer's passion for music is evident in the way he expresses his desire to share his own version of a song with the world. The nonsensical sounds used in his version of the song are symbolic of the transformative power of music that can be felt without the need for words. Toots & The Maytals's song "I Shall Sing" is an ode to the beauty of music and its ability to bring people together despite their differences.
Line by Line Meaning
I shall sing
I will perform a song
Sing a song
Performing a musical piece
In the morning
During the earlier part of the day
And in the day
Also during daytime
Everywhere I go
In any place I visit
I want the world to know
I want people to be aware
That I can do
I possess the ability to perform
A version of this song
A rendition of the same tune
My version would go like this
The way I perform it would be as follows
La la la la la la la la
Nonsense syllables sung in melody
I could sing a song yeah
I am capable of performing a tune
Lide lide lide lu lu yeah
More nonsensical melody sung in rhythm
I heard them talking
I have listened to others conversing
All over the world
In different parts of the globe
They want me to do
They are asking me to perform
A version of your song
A rendition similar to your composition
My version goes like this here
The way I perform it is as follows
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: VAN MORRISON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nwamaka Franklynne
Great tune. He was legendary. Rest on Fred. We are missing your voice badly.
Bickliffe Oba
Toots Frederick Hibbert, you shall sing now on another realm of existence where there is no morning and day. I join your family and friends to mourn you, great Toots! Rest in peace!
tafi mutekwe
Powerful eulogy this. MHDSRIEP.
spoonerfive
An incredible performance of an outstanding song on my favorite Reggae album of all time...if you don't feel the music here, you're either undead or a republican.
Uriel Walters
I love all the reggae songs and artists take me back to the days when I was young going to dance
Larry Anderson
"La la la la la la la la I shall sing a song"....RIP Toots and join my late grandfather who was such a fan, in an endless song through eternity.
tafi mutekwe
Best of Jamaican soul. Toots and Otis Redding were the twin brothers of soul music.
Uduak Ukekpe
Take me back to those years. There was more peace and finer people.
Charles Mkhabele
Rest in Peace legend more fire fire fire
Bradley Mcpherson
Real father of reggae