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.
Blame On Me
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
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I've hung around you just like a fool
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
My poor heart is in an awful state now
But it's too late now to call a halt
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
I like every single thing about you
Without a doubt you are like a dream
In my mind I find a picture of us as a team
Ever since the hour of our meeting
I've been repeating a silly phrase
Hoping that you'll understand me one of these days.
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
Don't' blame me!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
Don't blame; me.
Ican't help it if that doggoned moon above
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
But don't blame me.
The lyrics of Toots and The Maytals' song "Blame On Me" speak of a person who has fallen in love with someone and can't help being under their spell. They know they are behaving like a fool, but their heart is already in too deep. The lyrics suggest that the other person is responsible for the singer's state of love, as falling in love with them was beyond their control. The person acknowledges that they have become a nuisance, but their love for this other person is still going strong, and they can't help it.
The lyrics also describe how the singer likes every single thing about the other person and pictures them as a perfect team. The song suggests that the two are meant to be together, and the singer hopes that someday the other person will understand their feelings.
Overall, "Blame On Me" is a song about the uncontrollable nature of falling in love and how it can make someone feel both foolish and helpless. The lyrics beautifully capture the vulnerability and tenderness that love can bring out in a person, and the melody and rhythm of the song only reinforce these emotions further.
Line by Line Meaning
Ever since the lucky night I found you
From the very moment I discovered you, I've been enamored
I've hung around you just like a fool
I've been sticking around you like a crazy person
Falling head and heels in love like a kid out of school.
I've fallen deeply in love with you, like a teenager experiencing it for the first time
My poor heart is in an awful state now
My heart is suffering terribly at this point
But it's too late now to call a halt
However, it's too late now to stop it from happening
So if I become a nuisance it's all your fault!
Therefore, if I become a bother, it's all because of you!
Don't blame me for falling in love with you
Please don't hold me responsible for loving you
I'm under your spell but how can I help it!
I'm under your enchantment, but I can't resist it!
Can't you see when you do the things you do!
Can't you comprehend that when you do what you do, it affects me
If I can't conceal the thrill that I'm feeling,
I can't hide the excitement I'm experiencing
Don't blame; me.
So please don't hold me accountable
I can't help it if that doggoned moon above
I can't control the impact that the moon has on me
Makes me need someone like you to love!
Causing me to crave someone like you to love!
Blame your kiss as sweet as a kiss can be
Blame your incredibly sweet kiss
And blame all your charms that melt in my arms
And pin the blame on all of your irresistible characteristics that cause me to melt in your embrace
But don't blame me.
But please don't point the finger at me
I like every single thing about you
I genuinely adore every aspect of you
Without a doubt you are like a dream
You are undoubtedly like a fantasy to me
In my mind I find a picture of us as a team
In my imagination, I see a visual representation of us as a couple
Ever since the hour of our meeting
Since the moment we met
I've been repeating a silly phrase
I've been saying an absurd sentence over and over again
Hoping that you'll understand me one of these days.
In the hopes, you'll eventually comprehend my feelings for you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind