Toots and The Maytals are from Kingston, Jamaica. It was the producer Byron Lee who 1971 renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group and the lead singer, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.
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 drug possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band 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" 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.
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", 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.
In 2005, the band won a Grammy award for best reggae album for True Love, consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the Easy Star All-Stars album 'Radiodread' (a dub tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[35] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.
In 2017 Toots and the Maytals played Coachella Fest April 16 and 23 at 4:20 pm. They became the second reggae-based group to perform at the Coachella festival, after Chronixx in 2016.
In 2018, Toots and the Maytals launched a 50th anniversary tour with concert appearances in North America from April to August, moving to dates in the UK starting in October.
On July 25, 2018 Toots and the Maytals debuted an original song entitled "Marley" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and also played the classic "Funky Kingston".
On August 24, 2018 Toots and the Maytals performed at Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song “Monkey Man”.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
Bam Bam Feat. Shaggy & Rahzel
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want you to know that I am the man who
Fight for the right, not for the wrong
Going there, I'm growing there
Helping the weak against the strong
Soon you will find out the man I'm supposed to be
Help this man, don't trouble no man
What a bam bam
Bam bam
See that?
Bam bam
It will bring a bam bam
Can you see that?
Ah? (it will bring a bam bam)
What a bam bam (what a bam bam)
Can you see that? (what a bam bam)
Hear what I say (what a bam bam)
Yeah hey (what a bam bam)
(what a bam bam?)
This man, don't trouble no man
He know you go to nourish man
This man, don't trouble no man
This man is friend and is trying to trouble no man
That's if you trouble this man
It going to bring a bam bam
What a bam bam
Get a bam bam?
The lyrics of Toots and The Maytals's song Bam Bam convey a message of standing up for what is right and fighting against injustice. The singer makes it clear that he is a man who fights for the right and against the wrong, and he is striving to grow and help the weak against the strong. He wants people to know the man he is supposed to be, a man who helps others, does not trouble anyone and is a friend to all.
The chorus of the song warns against troubling this man as it will bring a "bam bam," a Jamaican slang term for a fight or physical altercation. The singer seems to be pleading with people to understand that everyone should be treated with respect and kindness, and no one should be subjected to violence or harm. He stresses the importance of being a friend to others and not stirring up trouble.
Overall, the lyrics of Bam Bam encourage listeners to be compassionate, considerate, and empathetic towards one another. They emphasize that violence and aggression are not the answer and that everyone should be treated with love and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
Ah?
Expressing confusion or disbelief.
I want you to know that I am the man who
The singer wants to convey that he wants to be acknowledged for who he is.
Fight for the right, not for the wrong
The singer believes that fighting for the right thing is more important than fighting for the wrong thing.
Going there, I'm growing there
The artist believes in improving himself as he moves forward in life.
Helping the weak against the strong
The artist believes in helping those who are weaker in the society against stronger people.
Soon you will find out the man I'm supposed to be
The singer believes that people will soon understand who he truly is.
Help this man, don't trouble no man
The singer requests others to help him and not cause him any trouble.
But if you trouble that man it will bring a bam bam
Causing trouble for the artist will lead to a negative outcome.
What a bam bam
The artist is expressing surprise or disappointment in the negative outcome caused by trouble.
Bam bam
Repeating the expression of surprise or disappointment.
See that?
The singer is asking if others can see the negative outcome caused by trouble.
Can you see that?
The artist is asking again if others can see the negative outcome caused by trouble.
Hear what I say
The singer wants others to listen and pay attention to what he is saying.
Yeah hey
A general expression of excitement or enthusiasm.
This man, don't trouble no man
The singer is referring to himself and requesting others not to cause him any trouble.
He know you go to nourish man
The artist believes in helping others and ensuring their well-being.
This man is friend and is trying to trouble no man
The artist is friendly and doesn't want to cause any trouble for others.
That's if you trouble this man
The singer is warning that causing trouble for him will result in a negative outcome.
It going to bring a bam bam
Causing trouble for the singer will lead to a negative outcome.
Get a bam bam?
Asking if the negative outcome caused by trouble has been observed.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Frederick Hibbert
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oobooskeboo
One of my favourite songs ever!! Toots rules!! ❤
@wenzoedx3389
Jody Goez right
@chriscrawford2401
Loved Toots for almost 50 years. And Shaggy kicks every song up a few notches. Great redo of a great song!
@sadikeewatson
Rip Toots Rest Well my friend, you'll be surely missed by your great iconic songs 😪
@chuffpup
Toots original version is a total blast. I'm glad I heard this one too, I like Shaggy even more now I hear this classic with TOOTS. I'm a big Maytals fan from the days of long ago... Cheers.
@Japh111
My favourite track as a kid, still listening in 2019
@godfather2275
2021 and still rocks. RIP❤
@chriscrawford2401
Shaggy brings great energy to every cover he does with an artist. As great as Toots is, Shaggy could make a goat sound danceable!
@tafimutekwe2855
Relevant and vibrant to the very end. Rest In Power Legend.
@danamiller4262
My parents have a video of me being four and trying to do the dance that the girls are doing. All of I think of when I hear this song is how much I loved it then and how much I love it now.