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.
Guns Of Navarone
Toots and The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guns, guns of Navarone
Music and your singing a song, you've got to go...
??????????
As long as you wane beat the jungle jive, this is called "The Shark Attack"
Designed to blow your mind
Call me a raga bum, it's gonna blow your mind in a minute
Guns of Navarone, lets see you...
Guns of Navarone
One kilo, send shark in harbour
Alright, blow, Mister Rico, blow
Alright
Come on in
Musical vibrations sound is shaking the nation
We will become the noise of tomorrow
Shake it up
Shake it baby, mamma don't break it
You want another Nazi number baby boomer, shake it now or never
Separation, real life
Baby don't forget about that
Wednesday, send some
The lyrics to Guns of Navarone by Toots and The Maytals talk about the power of music and its ability to bring people together. The song begins by introducing the Guns of Navarone, a term used to describe the sound system that Toots and The Maytals used for their live performances. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "guns, guns of Navarone" to create a rhythmic chant that emphasizes the power of the music.
The lyrics also reference a dance called "The Shark Attack" that is described as designed to blow your mind. This dance, along with the music, is meant to transport you to another world where you can forget about your problems and just enjoy the moment. The lyrics encourage listeners to shake it up and let loose, emphasizing the joy and release that can come from dancing.
The song ends with the line "Wednesday, send some," which is somewhat cryptic and has led to various interpretations. Some think it refers to a request for more music, while others believe it may be a reference to something else entirely. Regardless of its meaning, Guns of Navarone is a joyful celebration of music and dance that encourages listeners to let go and enjoy the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Guns of Navarone
Refers to the guns defending the island of Navarone during World War II
Guns, guns of Navarone
Repeats the title, emphasizing the guns' importance
Music and your singing a song, you've got to go...
The music is starting, and the listener is encouraged to join in
??????????
Unknown/indiscernible lyrics
As long as you wane beat the jungle jive, this is called "The Shark Attack"
Refers to a dance move that involves beating the rhythm, named "The Shark Attack"
Designed to blow your mind
The dance move will amaze and impress the listener
Call me a raga bum, it's gonna blow your mind in a minute
The singer boasts about his dancing skills, confidently predicting that his moves will impress the listener soon
Guns of Navarone, lets see you...
The guns are challenged to perform or impress the listener somehow
I could tell you??????????
Unknown/indiscernible lyrics
Guns of Navarone
Repeats the title, emphasizing the guns' importance
One kilo, send shark in harbour
A possible coded message for someone to bring or deliver something (one kilo) secretly to a certain location (harbour)
Alright, blow, Mister Rico, blow
Encouragement for someone (Mister Rico) to take action
Alright
An affirmation or agreement with the previous directive
Come on in
Invitation to enter or join the music
Musical vibrations sound is shaking the nation
The music is so powerful that it's affecting the whole country
We will become the noise of tomorrow
The singer and his audience will be the voice and influence of the future
Shake it up
Encouragement to dance and move to the music
Shake it baby, mamma don't break it
Encouragement to dance while taking care not to harm oneself
You want another Nazi number baby boomer, shake it now or never
Urging the listener to dance to avoid becoming another victim of oppressive systems like Nazism
Separation, real life
Acknowledging that division and inequality are pervasive issues in the world
Baby don't forget about that
Reminder to stay aware of the world's problems and not become complacent
Wednesday, send some
Unknown/indiscernible lyrics
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DIMITRI TIOMKINE, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind