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.
Go Jimmy Go
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(The day is done)
The night is through
(The night is through)
Tomorrow is when
(Tomorrow is when)
We can start anew
(We can start anew)
(But that can't happen)
'Til we get some rest
('Til we get some rest)
Let's go to bed
(Let's go to bed)
So we can feel our best
(So we can feel our best)
The day is done
(The day is done)
The night is through
(The night is through)
Let's go to bed
(Let's go to bed)
And get some rest
The lyrics to "Go Jimmy Go" by Toots and The Maytals tell the story of someone who has lost the love of their life and with it, their ability to enjoy music. The first verse reveals that the singer has let a song "go out of [their] heart", which they now realize was "the sweetest melody". They acknowledge that losing this special person has caused them to lose their connection to heaven, indicating that this person was something of a spiritual guide to them.
The second verse expresses the deep sadness the singer has experienced since their beloved left them. Life now seems meaningless and empty. The plea to "come back, sweet music" is a desperate cry for this person to return and bring joy back into their life. They acknowledge that they were wrong to let them go and wonders if it's too late to make amends. The singer reveals that their relationship was more than friendship and that they were meant to be together.
The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer won't be able to enjoy music again until their love returns. They emphasize this with the line "Believe me, darlin', when I say", as if trying to convince this person of the depth of their feelings.
Overall, the lyrics of "Go Jimmy Go" are a plea for forgiveness and a declaration of the power of love and music to bring meaning and happiness to our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
I let a song go out of my heart
I regret letting go of our love, it was the most beautiful thing in my life.
It was the sweetest melody
Our love was the most pleasant thing in my life.
I know I lost heaven 'cause you were the song
I have lost happiness since you were the music in my life.
Since you and I have drifted apart
I have lost my way since we broke up.
Life doesn't mean a thing to me
I am lost and life has no meaning without you.
Please come back, sweet music, I know I was wrong
I am sorry for my mistakes, please come back and make my life beautiful again.
Am I too late to make amends?
I am unsure if I can fix things between us.
You know that we were meant to be more than just friends, just friends
We were destined to be together, not just friends.
Believe me, darlin', when I say
I am sincere in what I am saying.
I won't know sweet music until you return some day
I will not be happy until you come back into my life.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Jon Manness
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 😊