Jamaican ska vocal group The Maytals became a reggae band in 1971, renamed … Read Full Bio ↴Jamaican ska vocal group The Maytals became a reggae band in 1971, renamed Toots and The Maytals with Toots Hibbert (Frederick Nathaniel Hibbert) as front figure. The band won a 2005 Grammy award for the album True Love. Funky Kingston in early 70s is on Rolling Stone's list The Greatest Albums of All Time. The bass line in "54-46" is one of the most covered in pop music. Songs such as "Monkey Man", "Pressure Drop", "Bam Bam", among others, made them favorites for the early skinhead movement of white working-class youth in UK.

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.

Bla-Bla-Bla
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bla bla bla bla
Sing a song, sing a song
Bla bla bla bla
Get it on, get it on

Bla bla bla bla
Get it on, get it on
Bla bla bla bla
Oh, everybody get this song and sing it
Bla bla bla bla

Bla bla bla bla
Bla bla bla bla
Sing a song, sing a song

Bla bla bla bla
Get it on, get it on
Bla bla bla bla
In a chorus everyday
Bla bla bla bla

I bought a present for my father
And when it reached my father's home it turned a Christmas card
I bought something special for my momma
My momma put it on the table and the table just turned over

And this is something strange has been happening
From the other day everybody gets a chorus singing

Bla bla bla bla
Sing a song, sing a song
Bla bla bla bla
Get it on, get it on

Bla bla bla bla
Caroline, caroline
Bla bla bla bla
Oh, everybody gets a song, sing it
Bla bla bla bla

Bla bla bla bla
Bla bla bla bla
Get it on, get it on
Bla bla bla bla
Caroline, caroline
Bla bla bla bla
In a chorus everyday

Bla bla bla bla
Bla bla bla bla
Bla bla bla bla
Bla bla bla bla

Bla bla bla bla

Get it on, get it on
Bla bla bla bla

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Toots and the Maytals' song "Bla Bla Bla" describe a series of strange events that occur after the singer attempts to give gifts or set the table for his family. In each instance, the object he intends to use is passed to another family member, and the table or gift "just turns over." Despite these mishaps, the family seems to be enjoying themselves, as they break into a chorus of the song's refrain: "Bla bla bla bla / Sing a song, sing a song / Bla bla bla bla / Get it on, get it on."

The repetition of "Bla bla bla" in the song's chorus could be interpreted in a number of ways. On one level, it might be seen as a playful nod to the nonsense phrases that pop up in some reggae and ska songs. Alternatively, it could be seen as a commentary on the idea that communication between family members can sometimes feel repetitive or meaningless. However, regardless of its precise meaning, the song seems to be celebrating the joy of singing together and enjoying each other's company.

Overall, "Bla Bla Bla" is a lighthearted song that showcases the Toots and the Maytals' distinctive sound, which blended elements of ska, rocksteady, and soul. While some of the lyrics may be a bit mystifying, they ultimately contribute to the song's overall sense of playfulness and celebration.

Line by Line Meaning

I called my baby to the breakfast table
I invited my significant other to join me at the breakfast table

My baby calls on to her brother and the table just turn over
My significant other called out to her brother, causing the table to tip over

I bought a plate for dinner for my sister
I purchased a plate for my sister's meal

My sister give it to my brother and it turn over
My sister gave the plate to my brother and it also tipped over

And this is something strange has been happening
An unusual event has been occurring

From the other day everybody gets a chorus singing
Recently, everyone has been singing a chorus together